LG Uplus, Ecolab Korea to Develop Liquid Cooling Standards for AI Data Centers

On October 27, LG Uplus and Ecolab Korea signed a memorandum of understanding in Seoul to jointly develop liquid cooling operation standards for AI data centers. The two companies plan to build a comprehensive operation framework covering liquid cooling equipment installation, coolant quality management, and real-time monitoring to support the stability of next-generation AI infrastructure.

Compared with traditional air cooling, liquid cooling offers higher cooling efficiency, but poor coolant quality or improper facility management can lead to equipment failures. The partners will conduct technical verification of a thermosyphon cooling system (TCS) loop, which circulates coolant by connecting AI server racks to coolant distribution units.

Under the agreement, LG Uplus will provide a large-scale liquid cooling pilot environment under construction at its Pyeongchon 2 Center to validate AI infrastructure based on next-generation GPU architectures. Ecolab Korea will establish a coolant quality management system using its digital water quality monitoring platform. The two companies plan to jointly analyze coolant conditions and data from key cooling facilities to verify operating standards and management methods.

Jung Sook-kyung, executive director of LG Uplus' AI data center business, said the collaboration will help establish liquid cooling operation standards and a quality management system, providing customers with a more stable and reliable AI data center operating environment.