Airsys and Shell Will Demonstrate Spray Liquid Cooling
The joint demo at the OCP Global Summit will highlight a cooling architecture designed to reduce dielectric fluid reliance.
Updated on Oct. 5, 2026 in Data Centers
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Airsys and Shell will host a demonstration of spray liquid cooling technology at the OCP Global Summit in San Jose on October 14, 2026. This system is designed for mid-density AI, data center, telecom, and edge computing environments.
Why it matters
The technology aims to bridge the cooling gap between minor air-cooling upgrades and the more resource-intensive, infrastructure-heavy liquid immersion systems. By focusing on direct thermal management of processors, it seeks to optimize cooling efficiency in existing server environments.
The system utilizes a cassette-based architecture that applies Shell dielectric fluid directly to CPUs and GPUs, consuming 80% less fluid than immersion-based counterparts. This design is engineered to support retrofitting into existing server racks without full infrastructure overhauls.
The players
Airsys
A thermal management engineering firm based in Woodruff, S.C. with 16 global locations and over 1,000 employees.
Shell
An energy company that develops specialty dielectric fluids for industrial and computing thermal management applications.
The details
The cooling process employs a spray-based mechanism housed within a clear cassette, allowing for real-time observation of server thermal management during operation. This setup is specifically built to address the cooling requirements of mid-density data centers where air cooling has reached its functional limit. By deploying this module directly over high-heat hardware components, the system creates a targeted approach to heat removal.
Timeline
October 12-15, 2026: The OCP Global Summit takes place in San Jose.
October 14, 2026: Live spray cooling demonstration occurs at 7:30 - 10:30pm.
The Tech Race
This demonstration follows a pattern set by the OCP Open Rack standard by introducing modular thermal hardware designed for universal server environments. It directly competes with existing immersion and direct-to-chip cooling solutions vying for adoption in dense AI infrastructure.
Data center operators and network engineers in San Jose can preview how this cassette-based system integrates into existing racks during the demonstration on October 14, 2026. The technology specifically targets mid-density environments that currently lack the infrastructure for full immersion cooling.
The takeaway
This demonstration highlights a shift toward modular, less-invasive liquid cooling options for mid-tier data centers. Observers should track subsequent benchmarks regarding the long-term reliability of the cassette-based fluid delivery system versus traditional air or immersion cooling methods.
Further reading
For more on the latest cooling advancements, visit the Data Centers section.
More information
To request an invitation to the demo, visit the event invitation request portal.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Manila times.
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Is now a good time for data center operators to switch to spray liquid cooling systems?
