Valvoline Global Operations Engineers Data Center Liquid Cooling
For more than 150 years, Valvoline has been synonymous with high-performance motor oil and racing heritage. Now, the company is applying its expertise to a very different kind of performance challenge: keeping AI data centers cool as they transition from the megawatt era into the gigawatt era.
In a recent conversation with Michael Morrison, director of new ventures at Valvoline Global Operations, and Solidigm’s Jeniece Wnorowski, I discussed how data center cooling represents a natural evolution for a company built on managing heat and performance. As Michael explained, Valvoline has actually maintained a data center presence for years, providing oils for backup power generation systems. The move into cooling solutions represents a deeper engagement with an industry facing unprecedented thermal challenges.
Two Liquid Cooling Solutions to Meet the Density Challenge
While rising temperatures grab headlines, Michael emphasized that density is the real challenge facing modern data centers. AI-enhanced workloads require packing more chips into the same physical space, creating concentrated heat loads that traditional air cooling cannot effectively manage. Liquid cooling enables increased density of chips per server and of servers per data center, fundamentally changing the economics of AI infrastructure deployment.
Two approaches to liquid cooling have arisen in response to this challenge: direct-to-chip cooling, and immersion cooling. Direct-to-chip cooling runs coolant through lines and cold plates to cool individual processors, and it has already moved beyond adoption into rapid growth. Major manufacturers have begun supporting this approach, and deployments have begun.
Immersion cooling, however, remains in earlier stages. In immersion cooling applications, entire servers are submerged in tanks filled with dielectric fluid. The approach allows heat to be captured from all components simultaneously. It also represents a large potential change for hyperscalers, which explains why it is still largely in proof-of-concept phase.
“They’re not used to having large open tanks sitting in their data centers,” Michael said. “So, they’re not only testing performance metrics, but understanding, ‘what is my maintenance on a server like?’ All of those things have to have operational procedure set: all the nuances of running it in a normal setting and an emergency environment.”
Precision Testing and Partnership: Engineering Compatibility at Every Level
The key to immersion cooling is dielectric oils. Dielectric materials, like the oils Valvoline produces, are nonconductive substances for electric currents. And finding a fluid with ideal properties to enable high performance is where Valvoline Global shines.
“We’re used to testing properties in our fluids that would determine, does it conduct electricity? Does it transfer heat?” he said.
While Valvoline Global’s fluid testing capabilities form the foundation, Michael emphasized that deploying these solutions successfully requires a more comprehensive approach. When servers are immersed in dielectric oil, compatibility becomes critical across thousands of individual components. Valvoline Global works closely with data center operators to ensure their fluids are compatible with specific hardware configurations, tank materials, and operational requirements. This collaborative approach, which the company has refined over more than 150 years of customer relationships, distinguishes their market strategy from simple product provision.
Sustainability Through Operational Efficiency
Beyond performance, liquid cooling addresses sustainability concerns that are becoming critical for data center operators. By reducing or eliminating large HVAC systems required for air cooling, facilities can significantly decrease power consumption and operational expenses. Water usage can also be reduced depending on system configuration. Michael noted that liquid cooling can creates a scenario where improved cost structure and reduced environmental impact work together rather than act as competing priorities.
The TechArena Take
Valvoline Global’s entry into data center cooling represents more than a company diversifying its product portfolio. It reflects how foundational technologies from established industries are being reimagined to solve the infrastructure challenges of AI deployment. As data centers grapple with the thermal and density challenges of AI-enabled workloads, Valvoline Global’s’s combination of fluid science expertise, collaborative approach, and long history of managing high-performance applications positions them as a meaningful player in this infrastructure evolution. For organizations planning liquid cooling deployments, the lesson is clear: success depends not just on the technology itself but on the partnerships and compatibility testing that ensure reliable, long-term operation.
Learn more about Valvoline Global’s data center cooling solutions at their website, valvoline.com, where they provide detailed technical resources on liquid cooling technologies. Connect with Michael Morrison on LinkedIn to continue the conversation about thermal management innovation.
For more than 150 years, Valvoline has been synonymous with high-performance motor oil and racing heritage. Now, the company is applying its expertise to a very different kind of performance challenge: keeping AI data centers cool as they transition from the megawatt era into the gigawatt era.
In a recent conversation with Michael Morrison, director of new ventures at Valvoline Global Operations, and Solidigm’s Jeniece Wnorowski, I discussed how data center cooling represents a natural evolution for a company built on managing heat and performance. As Michael explained, Valvoline has actually maintained a data center presence for years, providing oils for backup power generation systems. The move into cooling solutions represents a deeper engagement with an industry facing unprecedented thermal challenges.
Two Liquid Cooling Solutions to Meet the Density Challenge
While rising temperatures grab headlines, Michael emphasized that density is the real challenge facing modern data centers. AI-enhanced workloads require packing more chips into the same physical space, creating concentrated heat loads that traditional air cooling cannot effectively manage. Liquid cooling enables increased density of chips per server and of servers per data center, fundamentally changing the economics of AI infrastructure deployment.
Two approaches to liquid cooling have arisen in response to this challenge: direct-to-chip cooling, and immersion cooling. Direct-to-chip cooling runs coolant through lines and cold plates to cool individual processors, and it has already moved beyond adoption into rapid growth. Major manufacturers have begun supporting this approach, and deployments have begun.
Immersion cooling, however, remains in earlier stages. In immersion cooling applications, entire servers are submerged in tanks filled with dielectric fluid. The approach allows heat to be captured from all components simultaneously. It also represents a large potential change for hyperscalers, which explains why it is still largely in proof-of-concept phase.
“They’re not used to having large open tanks sitting in their data centers,” Michael said. “So, they’re not only testing performance metrics, but understanding, ‘what is my maintenance on a server like?’ All of those things have to have operational procedure set: all the nuances of running it in a normal setting and an emergency environment.”
Precision Testing and Partnership: Engineering Compatibility at Every Level
The key to immersion cooling is dielectric oils. Dielectric materials, like the oils Valvoline produces, are nonconductive substances for electric currents. And finding a fluid with ideal properties to enable high performance is where Valvoline Global shines.
“We’re used to testing properties in our fluids that would determine, does it conduct electricity? Does it transfer heat?” he said.
While Valvoline Global’s fluid testing capabilities form the foundation, Michael emphasized that deploying these solutions successfully requires a more comprehensive approach. When servers are immersed in dielectric oil, compatibility becomes critical across thousands of individual components. Valvoline Global works closely with data center operators to ensure their fluids are compatible with specific hardware configurations, tank materials, and operational requirements. This collaborative approach, which the company has refined over more than 150 years of customer relationships, distinguishes their market strategy from simple product provision.
Sustainability Through Operational Efficiency
Beyond performance, liquid cooling addresses sustainability concerns that are becoming critical for data center operators. By reducing or eliminating large HVAC systems required for air cooling, facilities can significantly decrease power consumption and operational expenses. Water usage can also be reduced depending on system configuration. Michael noted that liquid cooling can creates a scenario where improved cost structure and reduced environmental impact work together rather than act as competing priorities.
The TechArena Take
Valvoline Global’s entry into data center cooling represents more than a company diversifying its product portfolio. It reflects how foundational technologies from established industries are being reimagined to solve the infrastructure challenges of AI deployment. As data centers grapple with the thermal and density challenges of AI-enabled workloads, Valvoline Global’s’s combination of fluid science expertise, collaborative approach, and long history of managing high-performance applications positions them as a meaningful player in this infrastructure evolution. For organizations planning liquid cooling deployments, the lesson is clear: success depends not just on the technology itself but on the partnerships and compatibility testing that ensure reliable, long-term operation.
Learn more about Valvoline Global’s data center cooling solutions at their website, valvoline.com, where they provide detailed technical resources on liquid cooling technologies. Connect with Michael Morrison on LinkedIn to continue the conversation about thermal management innovation.
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