Seoul National University Forges Alliance to Test Immersion Cooling for AI Research November 28, 2025 As the computational demands of artificial intelligence research intensify, traditional air-cooling methods are increasingly struggling with the heat and noise generated by high-density server racks. This challenge is prompting leading institutions to explore advanced thermal management solutions like immersion cooling, which submerges IT hardware in a non-conductive fluid for superior heat dissipation and energy efficiency. Seoul National University (SNU) has taken a significant step in this direction by signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with immersion cooling system operator Databean and energy company HD Hyundai Oilbank. The tripartite agreement, signed this month, initiates a validation project for deploying immersion cooling technology at the university's AI research laboratory, with deployment scheduled for early next year. The pilot project is a direct response to operational issues at the lab, where research activities have faced disruption from the fan noise and high internal temperatures produced by air-cooled servers. Under the terms of the MoU, SNU will provide the data center facility and GPUs for the test. Databean will install its SmartBox immersion cooling system, a solution based on Open Compute Project (OCP) specifications that can host between 21U to 42U of equipment and offer cooling capacities from 50kW to 100kW. HD Hyundai Oilbank will supply its proprietary dielectric fluid, branded X Teer E-Cooling Fluid, and provide technical support and maintenance services. An official from HD Hyundai Oilbank framed the project's broader ambition, stating, "The project will demonstrate the viability of applying immersion cooling systems in small-scale server infrastructure such as an AI lab or smart factory. We will continue to expand our validation projects to lay the ground for our entry into the large-scale data center cooling market." The collaboration signals a growing trend of industry-academia partnerships aimed at solving next-generation infrastructure challenges. For the data center cooling sector, successful validation in a demanding AI research environment could accelerate the adoption of immersion cooling beyond niche applications, offering a scalable blueprint for other institutions and enterprises grappling with the thermal management of high-performance computing workloads. Source: datacenterdynamics
Seoul National University Partners with Databean and HD Hyundai Oilbank for AI Lab Immersion Cooling Pilot
