Successful Development of the Industry's First Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Compatible with Server "Liquid Immersion Cooling".

Nov. 01, 2024RELEASE

Press Release

Nippon Chemi-Con Corporation
November 1st, 2024

Nippon Chemi-Con has been working to improve the functionality of aluminum electrolytic capacitors used in servers in order to contribute to the high performance of expanding IT infrastructure. The company has recently succeeded in developing the industry's first products compatible with Liquid Immersion Cooling (LIC), a highly efficient server cooling method, and has started to provide samples.

Recently, there are growing expectations for the expansion of next-generation data centers against the backdrop of the spread of generative AI technology, the promotion of DX in the manufacturing industry, and its use in autonomous driving infrastructures for vehicles.
Meanwhile, AI servers already on the market consume considerably more power than conventional server units due to the higher performance of CPUs/GPUs, and the increased heat generated by individual server units has led to a sharp increase in the demand for air-conditioning power for cooling in data centers. As a result, the power consumption of the data center as a whole has increased. Power consumption in data centers is on the rise and is a global environmental challenge, with carbon neutrality initiatives underway in many countries.

The maximum power consumption of a server rack in a cloud data center is around 10 kW and air-cooled systems are the norm. But server racks for HPC (High Performance Computing), such as AI servers, consume more than 20 kW, and in some cases more than 100 kW. For this reason, cooling by cold plate or immersion cooling is essential. However, cold plates have limitations when it comes to improving PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness ^*1), and it is considered necessary to eventually move to the more ideal immersion cooling method.
On the other hand, it has been confirmed that immersion of conventional aluminum electrolytic capacitors accelerates the deterioration of the sealing rubber and shortens their operating life due to airtightness failures. Aluminum electrolytic capacitors are used in a wide range of applications on servers, from primary-side smoothing to final-stage CPU/GPU drives, and must be immersion-compatible.

^*1: PUE = (overall data center energy consumption [kWh]) / (IT equipment energy consumption [kWh])
Typical data center PUE is around 2.0

Taking advantage of its strength in in-house development of sealing rubbers, Nippon Chemi-Con has carried out an evaluation of airtightness resistance to immersion cooling and developed a new sealing rubber (patent pending). The company is also continuing evaluations with the cooperation of major coolant manufacturers.
Nippon Chemi-Con has already received evaluations from some data center-related users using immersion cooling, and it is expected that cooling will be a major challenge in the automotive and industrial equipment markets as well. The company is happy to provide test samples upon request.

Recommended Product Lines

Category	Type	Series	Characteristics
Conductive Polymer (Al-solid)	SMD	For liquid immersion cooling PXL seires	For immersion only For graphics cards and motherboards Capacitor guaranteed for 5,000 hours at 105℃.
Conductive Polymer (Al-solid)	Radial Lead	For liquid immersion cooling PSL series	For immersion only For graphics cards and motherboards Capacitor guaranteed for 5,000 hours at 105℃.
Conductive Polymer (Al-hybrid)	SMD	For liquid immersion cooling HXU series	Composite sealing technology Oil immersion, liquid immersion cooling + 40G vibration resistance For AI servers, automotive electronics market Capacitor guaranteed for 6,000 hours at 125℃/135℃.
Aluminum Electrolytic	SMD	For liquid immersion cooling MHU series	Composite sealing technology Oil immersion, liquid immersion cooling + 40G vibration resistance For AI servers, automotive electronics market Capacitor guaranteed for 5,000 hours at 125℃.
Aluminum Electrolytic	Snap-in	For liquid immersion cooling KHU series	Added oil-proofing treatment for sealant (optional) Supports rated voltages up to 500V Supports high capacity ～100L(mm) Capacitor guaranteed for 3,000 hours at 105℃.

Detailed specifications for each series are available in the PDF files for each series.

Sample ・Mass Production Timing

Samples for immersion evaluation: :Available
Mass production: :2025

Comparison of Sealing Rubber Deterioration

Fig.1Comparison of appearance after immersion test

Conventional products show swelling and partial melting of the sealing rubber due to coolant penetration, but there is no change in the immersion-compatible product.
Note: Appearance before testing is the same for conventional products and immersion-compatible products, and only immersion-compatible products are shown in the examples.

Comparison of Weight Change Due to Solvent Penetration

Fig.2Weight change after immersion test

In a weight change test to evaluate the degree of coolant penetration, the weight of the conventional product increases, but there is no change in the weight of the immersion-compatible product.

Image of Immersion Test

Fig.3Immersion method used in immersion test

Directly immersed in coolant with electronic components mounted on the PCB.

Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Used in the Field of Generative AI

Nippon Chemi-Con has released content introducing aluminum electrolytic capacitors used in data centers. Data centers, such as those for generative AI, will continue to expand on a large scale and play an important role in daily life.
Please use the link below to learn more about the many aluminum electrolytic capacitors used in data centers.

Introduction of Aluminum Electrolytic Capacitors Used in the Field of Generative AI

NIPPON CHEMI-CON CORPORATION

News