OVHcloud, a global cloud player and the European Cloud leader, has taken part in the 2024 Open Compute Project (OCP) Global Summit opening in San Jose, California. Following the OCP EMEA Regional Summit 2024 this spring, where OVHcloud released two whitepapers for the broader community to use freely, the Group unveils a new workstream proposal aimed at successfully implementing aluminium heat exchangers in data centres, alongside Valeo, a technology provider for mobility. Just in time to support the theme of this year OCP Global Summit “From Ideas to Impact”. 

Innovation For Freedom, Open-source as a Catalyst

OVHcloud has long been a promoter of innovation with yearly investments in research and development reaching 15% of FY23 turnover. The Group believes that innovation is key to support its broader objectives in offering a trusted and reversible cloud with the best performance-price ratio.  

At the heart of these efforts lies Open-Source and the belief that a vibrant ecosystem of actors leads to tangible benefits. With each party being extremely qualified, efficient and profitable in its own area of expertise, Open-Source acts as a catalyst for better and faster innovations. Thanks to its vertically integrated industrial model, OVHcloud is able to quickly scale up these advances. For users, regular contributions to the Open-Source ecosystem means market standard solutions free of any vendor lock-in, participating in operational sovereignty. 

Innovative Cooling Thanks to New Aluminium Heat Exchangers

Many data centres today rely on copper-based heat exchangers: they are reliable and effective, thanks to their excellent thermal conductivity and resistance to corrosion. However, as sustainability and cost-efficiency become even more critical, aluminium is emerging as a compelling alternative. Through this workstream proposal, OVHcloud, as well as Valeo, aim to advance aluminium heat exchanger technology in data centres.  

The initiative will seek to establish robust guidelines for internal linings, coating and coolants to address corrosion concerns. It will also ensure aluminium’s viability in data centres, as well as compatibility with existing infrastructure while enhancing performance, reliability and sustainability. Recycling aluminium requires only about 5% of the energy needed for new production1, compared to 15-20% for copper1.  

Aluminium’s lightweight properties will help the material find its way into modular systems and advanced heat exchanger designs, such as microchannel heat exchangers. Microchannel heat exchangers will also be explored so that they can be integrated through innovative methods. Rigorous testing in real world conditions will validate the durability of the coatings, the effectiveness of the coolants, and the overall thermal management capabilities of aluminium systems. This will result in a comprehensive white paper on the integration process, with presentations at industry summits and updates to relevant guidelines if necessary. 

“Following our previous contributions with OCP, we are thrilled to ignite conversations about bringing data centres new aluminium based innovative cooling systems that are energy efficient and sustainable” said Miroslaw Klaba, R&D Director OVHcloud. “OCP will help in driving faster innovation for scalable solutions ultimately facilitating the broader adoption of aluminium heat exchangers”.

Meet OVHcloud at OCP

For more details, join us during a breakout session at the 2024 OCP Global Summit on October 17th, 1:50pm (210AE) titled Integrating Aluminium Heat Exchangers in Modern Data Centres (Cooling Environments: Liquid Cooling).  

1. As per to Mineral Commodity Summaries and Mineral Yearbook