DLC · Direct Liquid Cooling
Cold plates on hot chips fed by an isolated coolant loop; the default above the ~100 kW/rack air-cooling cliff.
Current numbers
up to ~100%of server exhaust heat captured by a correctly sized rack-mounted door coil (room-neutral); ~40–55% lower capex than full DLC for the bridge band
~55%single-phase DLC share of the liquid-cooling market in 2026; RDHx/AALC serve as the brownfield bridge to ~40–50 kW
~55%direct-to-chip (DLC) share of the liquid-cooling market; immersion remains a niche minority