Schneider Electric launches hybrid data centre cooler

Schneider Electric has launched a new coolant distribution unit for data centres that combines liquid and air cooling in a single system.

Called the WCDU, the product is aimed at high-density AI deployments and is designed to work with fan wall air-cooling systems as well as standalone liquid cooling setups.

The launch adds a larger system to Schneider Electric's Motivair cooling range as operators look for ways to support denser computing equipment without committing too early to one cooling architecture. The unit is intended to let data centre operators shift the balance between air and liquid cooling as workload plans evolve, rather than redesigning a hall from the ground up.

That reflects a wider market shift as AI infrastructure drives higher rack densities and pushes operators towards liquid cooling. At the same time, many facilities still rely on air cooling in at least part of the hall, creating demand for systems that bridge both approaches.

Corridor design

The WCDU was developed for technical corridor deployments, where cooling distribution equipment is installed outside the white space used for IT hardware. Schneider Electric says this arrangement can ease maintenance and free up space inside the data hall.

The unit uses top-entry connections and is designed with zero lateral clearance, which can simplify installation in space-constrained sites. It also places pumps, heat exchangers and other CDU components within a single steel frame.

In practice, the WCDU can be integrated with existing fan wall environments or deployed as a standalone unit. That gives operators a retrofit option if they already use fan walls and want to add more liquid cooling to support denser systems.

A single WCDU can provide cooling capacity of up to 3.5MW at 1.5 litres per minute per kW, and 2.5MW at 2.0 litres per minute per kW. Up to 20 units can be linked in group mode, making the system suitable for data halls in the 30MW to 40MW range, according to Schneider Electric.

Efficiency focus

The unit supports approach temperatures as low as 2°C and can operate with warmer facility water system temperatures. In data centre cooling systems, lower approach temperatures can improve overall efficiency by narrowing the gap between facility water temperature and the temperature required at the cooling interface.

Schneider Electric says this can improve power usage effectiveness and reduce operating costs across the broader cooling system. The WCDU also includes hot-swappable pumps, pressure-independent control valves, 25-micron filters and a 15-inch touchscreen human-machine interface.

For sites that need additional backup, configurations up to 2.5MW can be specified with N+1 redundancy. That provides pump and valve backup intended to keep cooling available during maintenance or an unexpected component failure.

The addition broadens Schneider Electric's liquid cooling portfolio, which now spans CDU systems from 105kW to 3.5MW. The company positions the range as covering row-based, corridor-based and other deployment models.

Andrew Bradner, Senior Vice President of the Cooling Business at Schneider Electric, said the product is designed to support changing data centre layouts.

"As the only CDU that brings together both liquid and air cooling within a single solution, we're delivering a level of flexibility the market hasn't seen before," said Andrew Bradner, Senior Vice President of the Cooling Business at Schneider Electric. "This approach allows operators to deploy more efficiently, support a wider range of liquid cooling infrastructure configurations, and significantly reduce time to deployment."