Airsys launches LiquidRack AI cooling system in UK

Airsys has introduced the latest version of its LiquidRack liquid cooling platform for AI infrastructure. The system is now available in the UK, and the company is accepting candidates for pilot deployments.

The product targets operators of retrofit, edge and mid-density AI environments that need to move beyond conventional air cooling without rebuilding entire facilities. Its rack-level design places fluid distribution, pumping and thermal management within the rack, rather than relying on more centralised liquid cooling infrastructure.

This approach is intended for sites that sit between small air-cooling upgrades and more complex liquid systems. Airsys positions LiquidRack for data centres, telecoms sites and edge locations where space constraints, power limits and installation complexity can restrict options for higher-density computing.

According to Airsys, the platform supports 0.5 kW to 8 kW per server and up to 80 kW per rack. It can work with dry coolers, adiabatic systems and conventional chiller-based systems, allowing deployment in existing facilities as well as newer rack-level designs for AI workloads.

The latest version uses a 2U cassette-based design and spray-based server-level cooling for CPUs and GPUs. Airsys says the system can operate in compressor-less architectures when paired with dry coolers, aiming to reduce mechanical complexity, cut energy use and avoid water consumption.

The launch comes as operators face rising heat loads from AI and high-performance computing, particularly in facilities not designed for liquid cooling. That has increased demand for systems that can be installed in stages and maintained without large-scale mechanical changes.

Yunshui Chen, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Airsys, said the company is seeing demand for a more gradual route into liquid cooling.

"Most data center operators are looking to a practical, flexible and seamless path from air to liquid cooling to meet the challenge of high density, stranded power and ESG goals," said Yunshui Chen, Founder and CEO, Airsys. "LiquidRack provides that path. By integrating key cooling functions at the rack, we simplify deployment and enable customers to scale performance within the constraints of their existing infrastructure."

Market fit

Industry analysts cited by Airsys said a sizeable share of enterprise and edge AI computing is expected to remain below hyperscale training cluster levels. As a result, many operators are seeking higher rack densities in buildings with limited support for extensive liquid piping and plant changes.

"Not every AI deployment looks like a hyperscale training cluster," said Alex Cordovil, Research Director, Dell'Oro Group. "A meaningful share of enterprise and edge workloads is expected to sit within the 40-80 kW-per-rack range, inside facilities that were never designed for liquid cooling. Rack-level liquid cooling architectures can offer a pragmatic path to higher densities without the infrastructure overhaul that full retrofits require."

Airsys argues that localising thermal management at the rack could also help operators make better use of electrical capacity already provisioned at a site. In retrofit environments, lower cooling overhead could free more of the power envelope for IT equipment rather than support systems.

The company ties that point to Power Compute Effectiveness, or PCE, a metric it uses to describe how much provisioned electrical capacity is available for computing after facility overheads. As AI workloads push up power demand, that calculation is becoming more relevant for operators deciding whether to retrofit, expand or redesign cooling infrastructure.

Dr Rand Talib, Research Analyst at Uptime Institute, described the metric as follows.

"PCE is a metric developed by cooling system provider Airsys to provide greater transparency into power allocation within a data center's provisioned electrical envelope..........Cooling architecture decisions directly influence how much of the provisioned power envelope is allocated to facility systems and how much remains available for IT compute," said Talib.

UK presence

Airsys said its UK team is based in Warrington and that LiquidRack is now available in the market. Headquartered in South Carolina, the company says it employs more than 1,000 people across 16 locations worldwide and supplies cooling systems for data centres, edge computing, telecoms, medical imaging and manufacturing.

The launch adds to a growing field of liquid cooling products aimed at operators looking to support AI processing in existing buildings. Rather than focusing solely on hyperscale facilities, suppliers are increasingly targeting enterprise, telecoms and distributed sites, where gradual deployment and ease of maintenance are likely to be decisive factors.