CoolIT Systems DCLC Direct Liquid Cooling

Manufacturer: CoolIT Systems

DCLC is CoolIT's platform name for cold plates, manifolds and the CHx and AHx CDUs, from an 80 kW 4U unit to the 2000 kW CHx2000.

This model is part of SecondWatt’s liquid cooling research catalogue. Specifications and price observations are included where supported by sources. Equipment availability and commercial terms require confirmation.

Technical dossier for CoolIT DCLC direct liquid cooling — specs, pricing, GPU cooling.

Why it matters

DCLC is a stack rather than a box: cold plates, manifolds and CDUs from one vendor, which removes the interface argument between a cold-plate supplier and a CDU supplier when a rack runs hot. Density is the differentiator. CoolIT states 1000 kW at a 3 deg C approach temperature in a single-rack 750 mm by 1200 mm footprint for the CHx1000 and rates it at ten NVIDIA GB200 NVL72 racks, and 2000 kW at a 5 deg C approach with 2125 LPM at 35 psi for the CHx2000 at twelve GB300 NVL72 racks. Every unit is leak tested with PG25 before it ships.

Who buys it

AI cluster builders and hyperscalers standardising on NVIDIA GB200 and GB300 NVL72 racks, HPC centres, and server OEMs who ship CoolIT cold plates inside their own platforms. CoolIT states support for more than 300 data centers and on-site service in over 80 countries. The liquid-to-air AHx line is bought by operators retrofitting a hall that has no facility water at the row, since those units reject into room air and need no facility liquid connection.

Role in the data center

Thermal (heat-rejection) layer serving high-density IT load rather than an element of the electrical power chain; it sits between the IT rack and the facility water system. Coldplates capture heat at CPU/GPU/memory, rack manifolds carry the technology cooling system (TCS) loop, and the CDU isolates the facility water loop (FWS) from the rack loop while providing pumping, filtration, and controls. The CDU is a critical mechanical load fed from the electrical distribution chain (UPS or mechanical switchboard, depending on design), and it typically reduces required CRAH/CRAC air-cooling capacity for racks in the 40-140 kW range.

Key specifications

Technical summary

Platform is single-phase, water/PG25-based direct-to-chip cooling. Representative CDU data points from OEM and trade sources: CHx1500 liquid-to-liquid CDU, 1500 kW at 5 degC approach temperature difference, approximately 1.2 LPM/kW, 2100 LPM primary and 1800 LPM secondary flow, two hot-swappable pumps (N+N) delivering 1500 LPM at 34 psi external pressure drop, all stainless-steel piping with 4-inch Victaulic couplings, 25-micron integrated filtration, approximately 12 kW electrical draw, single-rack footprint. CHx2000: over 2000 kW at 5 degC approach, 1.2 LPM/kW, 2100 LPM primary / 1800 LPM secondary with PG25, two hot-swappable pumps at 1800 LPM and 40 psi external pressure drop, 53 psi secondary head pressure, 750 mm W x 1200 mm D single-rack footprint, stated six-nines availability with built-in redundancy. CHx500: 500 kW module in 11U, scalable to 2 MW across four units plus a 3U reservoir in a 48U rack, redundant N+1 pumps and power supplies, ASHRAE W45 warm-water capable. AHx180 liquid-to-air: 180 kW at 1.5 LPM/kW in a two-rack footprint with no facility water required. Legacy Rack DCLC literature cites ASHRAE W4 (2-45 degC) warm-liquid operation. Unit weights, electrical input voltages and frequency, and heat-exchanger approach curves are published only in spec sheets released on request.

Major variations

DCLC (Direct Contact Liquid Cooling) is CoolIT's platform architecture rather than a single SKU; it is sold as an assembly of coldplate loops, rack manifolds and CDUs. Liquid-to-liquid CDUs: CHx80 (approx. 80 kW, 4U rack-based), CHx200 (200 kW+, 4U rack-based), CHx500 (500 kW module, 11U, scalable to four units for approx. 2 MW in a 48U rack), CHx750/CHx1000 class row-based units, CHx1500 (1500 kW row-based), CHx2000 (2000 kW+ row-based). Liquid-to-air CDUs: AHx10 (7-10 kW, 5U-7U), AHx100 (up to 100 kW row-based), AHx180 (180 kW, two-rack footprint), AHx240 (highest-capacity liquid-to-air unit). Rack-level components: Split-Flow and OMNI all-metal coldplates and passive coldplate loops for NVIDIA, AMD and Intel processors, plus stainless-steel vertical/horizontal rack manifolds with dry-break quick disconnects. Historical branding was Rack DCLC.

Configurations and options

Architecture is the ordered choice and it decides whether the site needs facility water at all. The liquid-to-liquid CHx line runs CHx80 and CHx200 as 4U rack-mount units at 80 kW and 200 kW, CHx500 stackable four high to 2 MW at ASHRAE W45, CHx1000 at 1000 kW in a single-rack footprint and CHx2000 at 2000 kW. The liquid-to-air AHx line runs AHx180 at 180 kW and AHx240 at 240 kW with no facility liquid connection, the AHx240 at a 15 deg C approach and 280 LPM at 35 psi in a two-rack footprint. Filtration is a build option: the CHx1000 carries 25 micron elements with a 50 micron alternative. Pump arrangement differs by model, N+1 on the AHx240 and the 4U CHx units and dual N+N on the CHx1000. Group control links up to 20 CDUs under one management domain.

Compatibility and dependencies

A CHx CDU sits between facility water and a CoolIT secondary loop of manifolds and cold plates. Secondary chemistry is PG25. The field piping termination is not common across the family: the CHx1000 uses stainless steel piping with 4 inch Victaulic couplings while the CHx2000 uses a 4 inch tri-clamp interface. Facility water compatibility is stated in ASHRAE classes, with CHx80 and CHx200 compatible from W17 through W+, CHx500 rated at W45 and CHx1000 designed to W+ warm-water operation. Filtration on the CHx1000 is 25 micron with a 50 micron option. Controls are a 10 inch touchscreen on the CHx1000 and a 4.3 inch LCD on the 4U units, with remote access over Redfish, SNMP, TCP/IP, Modbus and BACnet and group control across up to 20 units. Platform qualification is quoted by rack count: ten GB200 NVL72 racks per CHx1000, twelve GB300 NVL72 racks per CHx2000.

Pricing and availability

Published price range: No OEM list price is published. Third-party analyst estimates for the CDU class place 100-500 kW units at roughly USD 12,000-35,000 each, and general CDU implementation cost at roughly USD 500-800 per kW of cooling capacity, which would imply order-of-magnitude USD 0.75M-1.6M for a 1.5-2 MW row-based unit including installation scope. These are third-party estimates, not CoolIT quotations, and exclude manifolds, coldplates, piping and commissioning.. Directionally, unit prices for CDUs have risen in absolute terms as capacities scaled from 80-200 kW rack units to 1.5-2 MW row units, while cost per kW of cooling has trended downward as capacity density improved; CoolIT explicitly positions the CHx1500 on best cost per kW. Demand-side pressure is strong: analysts size the data center liquid cooling market at roughly USD 4-6.8 billion in 2026 with double-digit to 30%+ CAGR forecasts, driven by AI rack densities moving from 15 kW toward 80-130 kW. Lead times and supply of pumps, heat exchangers and stainless components remain the main upward cost pressures; competitive entry from Vertiv, Schneider Electric, nVent, Motivair and DCX is the main downward pressure. Precise historical price series are not public.

Lifecycle and maintenance

CoolIT publishes availability rather than MTBF: CHx2000 is stated at six-nines (99.9999%) availability using built-in critical-component redundancy, continuous monitoring and hot-swappable components. Maintenance is centered on hot-swappable pumps, 25-micron filter elements and sensors, with front-and-back service access on row-based units; N+N or N+1 pump redundancy allows service without shutting down the loop. Coolant quality management (PG25 or treated water), periodic filter replacement and fluid sampling are the dominant recurring service items. CoolIT does not publish numeric MTBF hours, filter-change intervals, coolant-change intervals or design service life.

Common failure points

• Secondary filter elements — Rising differential pressure and falling flow to the cold plates, reached sooner on the CHx1000's 25 micron standard element than on the 50 micron option
• PG25 inhibitor package in the secondary loop — Inhibitor depletion and pH falling out of the 7.5 to 9.0 band, attacking copper, brass, solder and aluminum wetted surfaces
• Field piping termination — Weeping at the coupling where a CHx1000's 4 inch Victaulic gasket or a CHx2000's tri-clamp seal has been reused after transport
• Dual N+N pump set, CHx1000 — Rated flow only achieved with both pumps running, so the redundant pump is carrying load rather than standing by
• Air-side heat rejection on the AHx line — Capacity falls as hot-aisle inlet temperature rises, since AHx units reject into room air at a stated 15 deg C approach with no facility liquid connection
• Group control network — Units drift out of a shared control domain when the management path is interrupted across an installation of up to 20 CDUs

Inspection checklist

Establish the exact model first, since DCLC is a platform name and CHx80, CHx200, CHx500, CHx1000, CHx2000, AHx180 and AHx240 differ by an order of magnitude in capacity and by architecture. Confirm the filtration build on a CHx1000, 25 micron standard or the 50 micron option, and log differential pressure across the elements. Match the field piping termination to the unit: 4 inch Victaulic couplings on the CHx1000, a 4 inch tri-clamp on the CHx2000. Draw a secondary sample and measure glycol concentration, pH and inhibitor level. Run each pump alone and record flow against the stated 1.5 LPM per kW. Confirm the ASHRAE water class the unit is rated for matches the loop it is entering. Exercise the remote path over Redfish, SNMP, Modbus or BACnet and confirm group addressing where more than one unit is installed. Ask for the PG25 leak test record for the serial number.

Procurement channels

CoolIT sells direct, through server OEMs that embed DCLC cold plates in their own platforms, and through regional integrators whose catalog pages are quote-only. CoolIT publishes capacity and headline performance on its product pages and distributes full product sheets as gated downloads as of September 2026. Ownership is in transition: KKR and Mubadala invested in 2023, and on 25 March 2026 KKR agreed to sell CoolIT to Ecolab for 4.75 billion USD, subject to regulatory approval and expected to close in the third quarter of 2026, so service continuity belongs in the purchase order.

Regional notes

Facility-side compatibility is expressed in ASHRAE water classes rather than by region: CHx80 and CHx200 are compatible with W17 through W+, CHx500 is rated at W45 and CHx1000 is designed for W+ warm-water operation. CoolIT manufactures in Canada, China and Vietnam and states on-site support in more than 80 countries, which makes build origin and spares the regional question rather than a voltage variant. CoolIT's open product pages carry no agency listing marks for the CDU line as of September 2026. UL certifies coolant distribution units containing no refrigerant to UL/CAN/IEC 62368-1, applied identically in North America and internationally.