Definition
Air Cooling is a traditional data center cooling method that uses conditioned air to remove heat generated by IT equipment and maintain suitable operating temperatures.
Air cooling typically relies on air circulation systems, computer room air conditioning (CRAC), computer room air handlers (CRAH), and airflow management technologies to regulate the data center environment.
Why It Matters
Air cooling has been the standard cooling approach for data centers for decades due to its reliability, simplicity, and compatibility with conventional IT equipment.
However, as AI workloads and high-performance computing increase rack power density, traditional air cooling faces challenges including:
- Limited heat removal capacity
- Reduced efficiency at high rack densities
- Increased cooling energy consumption
This has accelerated the adoption of advanced cooling technologies such as liquid cooling.
Key Technologies
CRAC (Computer Room Air Conditioning)
Provides temperature-controlled air to IT spaces.
CRAH (Computer Room Air Handler)
Uses chilled water systems to manage airflow and cooling capacity.
Airflow Management
Improves cooling efficiency through:
- Hot aisle containment
- Cold aisle containment
- Optimized airflow design
Applications
Air cooling remains widely used in:
- Enterprise data centers
- Traditional server rooms
- Edge computing facilities
- General-purpose computing environments
Related Terms
Related ATTOM Solutions
ATTOM provides advanced data center cooling solutions, including precision cooling and liquid cooling technologies designed to support both traditional and high-density computing environments.
