We’ve just finished exhibiting at the two-day Data Centre World exhibition in London’s ExCel centre, which was really busy and really buzzing.
We launched our new Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) into our extensive product portfolio, which is designed to act as an interface between modern liquid cooling servers and systems that reuse heat.
And this is where data centres have a real opportunity to turn the challenge of cooling servers, into an opportunity to generate a new revenue stream by selling excess heat to heat networks, which are set to expand over the next decade.
The ME-CDU unit is available in a single compact module to provide a seamless integration with hybrid cooling applications and heat reuse or rejection systems, the unit helps ensure a continuous operation of the white space in data centres. It joins our comprehensive range of chillers, heat pumps, fan walls, CRACs and CRAHs.
Heat networks are expected to provide a fifth of all heat by 2050 offering significant opportunity
Shahid Rahman EMEA Data Centre Strategic Account Lead
A growing source of heat
Data centres are projected to double in capacity by 2030, to serve the massive demands of artificial intelligence (AI), hyperscale operations and cloud computing.
The industry is also in a state of transition moving rapidly from mainly using Central Processing Units (CPUs) to the growing use of Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), which are critical for data-intensive computing.
That means that there is an urgent need to cool down the next generation of servers, which in turn will lead to lots of heat that will be useful for heat networks, such as campus heating on university sites, or estate heating for hospitals or business parks.
We are seeing a rapid acceleration in the AI landscape and in cloud computing and this is increasing the amount of heat generated from data centres, so we need to make it easier to reuse that otherwise wasted heat.
As the data centre world moves from traditional air-cooled systems to liquid-cooled solutions there is the potential for greater heat capture and re-use, and this is where we are highlighting how cany data centre operators are realising the potential for a new revenue stream by feeding into local heat networks around their centre.
Government support for heat networks
Recently, the UK government published its Warm Homes Plan (WHP) which focuses predominantly on renewable heating for residential properties. However, it also emphasises the importance of heat networks, which offers a real revenue opportunity for heat generating sectors that can feed into these networks.
To date, the UK hasn’t maximised heat network potential and the WHP explains how the government will be unlocking low-carbon heat networks, by setting a target to more than double the amount of heat demand met via heat networks in England to 7% (27TWh) by 2035.
Heat networks are expected to provide a fifth of all heat by 2050, which offers significant opportunity to any data centre operator that can link into such a network.
The government is also driving investment through the Green Heat Network Fund with £195 million allocated per year to 2029/30. As we see an increase in the use of GPUs, the potential revenue becomes even more apparent.
Gold standard cooling
Air-cooled systems will remain vital for full environmental control of a data centre, but we are going to see liquid cooling solutions become the gold standard. The increased use of GPUs means even more heat creation, and this can now be turned into a sellable asset.
The new ME-CDU builds on our long‑standing expertise in IT Cooling and unwavering commitment to quality. The new Coolant Distribution Unit is engineered to deliver exceptional stability, precision and continuity in liquid cooling for modern high‑density data centres.
Designed to operate seamlessly within hybrid cooling architectures, the unit provides direct thermal extraction from the most demanding components, while air‑based systems such as the Mitsubishi Electric MEWALL or w-MEXT-XL, manage residual loads and environmental conditions to ensure optimal energy performance across the entire facility.
Capacities to cope
The ME-CDU offers capacities from 750kW to 1.2MW and is designed specifically with the latest high density, high temperature servers in mind. The unit operates nominally with a Technology Cooling System (TCS) at 34°C / 24°C and a Facility Water System (FWS) at 20°C / 30°C - creating many opportunities for heat reclaim and reuse.
It features a dual hydraulic circuit separated by a plate heat exchanger. The primary circuit incorporates a two‑way valve and 500‑micron filtration, while the secondary circuit includes N+1 redundant pumps, 25‑micron fine filtration, redundant temperature and pressure sensors, and an automatic refill tank to maintain stable pressure even in the presence of micro‑leaks. The unit’s hydraulic structure is built using 304/316 stainless‑steel piping and connections, ensuring fluid purity, resistance to contaminants and long‑term durability.
ME-CDU includes advanced controls with touch screen interface and energy monitoring and utilises efficient operation variable speed hydronic pumps in redundant configuration. It also comes with enhanced control capabilities, including water conductivity monitoring, pH and hardness sensing, which is unique within this category, all combined with a newly designed HMI developed specifically for CDU applications.
At Mitsubishi Electric, we believe we are offering a complete and coordinated hybrid cooling system capable of supporting the continuous evolution towards higher densities and increasingly demanding thermal requirements.
Shahid Rahman is EMEA Data Centre Strategic Account Lead
