The Definitive Guide toAI Data Centers
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GuideGlossaryCooling cliff

Cooling cliff · Density wall

The rack-power point (~100 kW) above which air cooling fails and liquid cooling becomes mandatory.

Current numbers

~$5–6M/MW → greenfield parityfull AI liquid retrofit cost crossing the cooling cliff; still strands capacityas of 2026 · register ↗
~$2M/MW → ~$5–6M/MW+cooling-only liquid retrofit vs full AI conversion past the air-cooling cliffas of 2026 · register ↗

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