Alexium Expanded Phase Change Cooling for Data Centers
The firm is scaling thermal storage materials to mitigate rapid temperature spikes during data center power failures.
Updated on Oct. 8, 2026 in Data Centers
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Alexium has expanded its use of microencapsulated phase change material (mPCM) technology into data center cooling applications. This thermal storage solution aims to provide a buffer against the rapid temperature rises that occur during cooling system outages.
Why it matters
Rising rack densities in AI-era facilities have made heat management during outages a critical design challenge. By integrating latent thermal mass into building materials, operators can gain additional time before hardware reaches failure thresholds.
A 15 mm gypsum board loaded with 3 kg/m² of Micronal material stores 330 kJ/m². Alexium's mPCM capsules, which range from 6 °C to 43 °C in melt points, have been validated through 10,000 thermal cycles.
The players
Alexium
A materials science company focused on phase change technology for thermal management.
Microtek Laboratories
A research entity specializing in microencapsulation acquired by Alexium.
Cundall
A global engineering consultancy that evaluates and endorses data center infrastructure designs.
The details
Alexium embeds microscopic capsules into building materials like wallboard and plaster to serve as latent thermal mass. When room air temperatures exceed the melt point, the material core transitions from solid to liquid, absorbing heat through this phase change. This process effectively slows the 5 °C per minute temperature rise that often leads to hardware failure within five minutes of a cooling outage.
Timeline
December 2025: Alexium acquired Microtek Laboratories.
July 2026: Cundall consulting engineers endorsed thermal storage.
October 7, 2026: Article publication date.
The Tech Race
This integration of passive thermal storage marks a departure from reliance purely on active mechanical cooling and backup power generators. It competes directly with traditional thermal mass approaches to ensure infrastructure resilience for the next generation of AI-era facilities.
Data center operators and facility managers can now incorporate these materials into new construction or retrofits to increase their thermal buffer. The technology is manufactured in the United States and offers an estimated 30-year operational life based on the 10,000-cycle testing standard.
The takeaway
Passive thermal storage via phase change materials represents a vital safety margin as rack densities climb. Operators should monitor technical documentation for load requirements to determine the specific gypsum board thickness needed to meet their cooling outage response targets.
Further reading
For more on evolving infrastructure, explore Data Centers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Fibre2fashion.
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