Palm coolant targets Malaysia’s data centre resource strain

Malaysia's Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) is developing Sawit EcoTherm, a bio-based immersion coolant made largely from palm-derived materials, to help alleviate the strain on the country's data center resources. The fast-growing artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure in Malaysia is creating heavy demands for water and electricity, prompting the search for more sustainable cooling solutions.

Sawit EcoTherm, still in the pre-commercial stage, is designed for direct immersion of servers and other computing components, eliminating the need for conventional evaporative cooling towers. The technology could potentially reduce cooling-related energy consumption by 30% to 50% by removing server fans and transferring heat directly from electronic components.

Conventional water-based cooling for Malaysia's expanding data center industry could require up to 876 million liters of water per day. Researchers estimate that the palm-derived coolant could offer a cost advantage, with raw-material costs estimated at RM20 to RM25 per kilogram compared to synthetic immersion fluids priced at RM50 to RM80 per kilogram.

However, the technology also faces sustainability concerns, as the expansion of oil-palm cultivation has historically contributed to deforestation and biodiversity loss. For Sawit EcoTherm to succeed, it will need to address compatibility with hardware, long-term fluid stability, maintenance requirements, and acceptance by server manufacturers.