■ SK Enmove signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with UK-based Precision Liquid Cooling (PLC) specialist Iceotope and big data specialist SK Telecom

■ SK Enmove plans to enhance liquid cooling technology and develop customized thermal fluids for PLC systems

SK Enmove has expanded its product lineup of thermal fluids and accelerated its foray into the data center liquid cooling market.
(*) Fluids: Fluids encompass both liquids and gases. They do not have a fixed shape and flow easily.

On February 28, SK Enmove announced it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation of next-generation cooling and solution with a global leader in Precision Liquid Cooling Iceotope Technologies and SK Telecom. The signing ceremony, held at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, was attended by the Head of e-Fluids B2B Business Management Office at SK Enmove, Seo Sang-hyuk, the Vice President and Head of Future R&D at SK Telecom, Lee Jong-min, and the CEO of Iceotope, David Craig.

Under this MOU, the three companies will engage in technical cooperation of data center liquid cooling technology. They plan to load SK Enmove’s thermal fluids into Iceotope’s Precision Liquid Cooling (PLC) solution and seek ways to apply them into SK Telecom’s AI Data Center Testbed (AI DC Testbed).

The liquid cooling is a way of cooling down the severs in data center by utilizing non-conductive specialized thermal fluids. It has drawn attention as a new thermal management because it can improve power consumption and save on operation costs compared to air-cooling types which take the heat off from the air. Examples of liquid cooling are Liquid Immersion Cooling Solution and Precision Liquid Cooling.

Following the existing tank type liquid immersion cooling solutions, SK Enmove plans to launch optimized product development for various liquid cooling solutions by developing thermal fluids for Iceotope’s Precision Liquid Cooling technology.

According to the global market research firm Future Market Insights, the global market size in thermal management of thermal fluids is expected to grow from approximately USD 330 million (about KRW 440 billion) in 2022 to about USD 2.1 billion (about KRW 2.8 trillion) by 2032, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21.5%.

SK Enmove was the first company in Korea to start the development thermal fluids in 2022, making an investment in GRC, a US-based tank type liquid immersion cooling solution company. Following this, in 2023, SK Enmove accelerated its efforts to preempt the data center liquid cooling market by signing an MOU with US-based PC manufacturing and IT solutions company Dell Technologies for the commercialization of liquid cooling technology.

“Importance of establishing sustainable environment is increasing these days. Through this cooperation, we aim to contribute to the vitalization of the immersion cooling market and solidify our position as an Energy Saving Company,” said Seo Sang-hyuk, Vice President and Head of e-Fluids B2B Business Office at SK Enmove.

“By combining core technologies and capabilities of SK Telecom, Iceotope and SK Enmove, we expect to develop innovative energy efficiency solutions that can not only help us strengthen our competitiveness in AI data centers, but also put us on the right path towards sustainability,” said Lee Jong-min, Vice President and Head of Future R&D at SK Telecom.

“We are thrilled to be collaborating with SK Telecom and SK Enmove on AI data center innovation and look forward to helping them and their customers to realize energy-efficiency in their facilities with our Precision Liquid Cooling solutions,” said David Craig, CEO of Iceotope.

[Photos]

(Photo1) SK Enmove, SK Telecom, and UK-based Iceotope signed a MOU on cooperation of next-generation cooling and solution at the MWC held in Barcelona, Spain. David Craig, the CEO of Iceotope, Lee Jong-min, the Vice President and Head of Future R&D at SK Telecom, and Seo Sang-hyuk, the Head of e-Fluids B2B Business Management Office at SK Enmove (from left) are posing next to a server using liquid immersion cooling technology set up in the SK Telecom exhibition hall. (Photo provided by SK Telecom)

(Photo2) Seo Sang-hyuk, the Head of e-Fluids B2B Business Management Office at SK Enmove, David Craig, the CEO of Iceotope, and Lee Jong-min, the Vice President and Head of Future R&D at SK Telecom (from left), are posing with a business agreement. (Photo provided by SK Telecom)

(Photo3) Lee Jong-min, the Vice President and Head of Future R&D at SK Telecom, David Craig, the CEO of Iceotope, and Seo Sang-hyuk, the Head of e-Fluids B2B Business Management Office at SK Enmove (from left) are posing with a business agreement. (Photo provided by SK Telecom)