IBM Corp. developed a water-cooled supercomputer it claims is five
times faster than previous models while delivering a threefold
increase in energy efficiency. The Power 575 Hydro-Cluster
supercomputer uses water-cooled copper plates above each of its Power6
microprocessors. According to IBM's Zurich Research Laboratory, where
the mechanism was invented, water is up to 4,000 times more effective
than air in removing heat from electronics. Data centers using the
Power 575 would require 80 percent fewer air conditioning units and 40
percent less power, said IBM, which will reveal details at the ITherm
conference in May.
