IT giant Intel Corp. certified Shell Lubricants’ immersion cooling fluids for use in data centers globally, marking Shell the first company to receive such certification from a leading semiconductor manufacturer, underscoring the rising importance of liquid-based thermal management technologies in next-generation data centers.
“Upgrading existing air-cooling methods with immersion fluids can reduce data center energy use by up to 48%, as well as help reduce capital and operating expenditure by up to 33%,” said Jason Wong, global executive vice president for Shell Lubricants, in a statement Thursday. “We’ve been working with Intel for the last two years to certify our fluids, which have the potential to transform the way data centers are cooled.”
Intel tests showed that its Xeon processors performed as reliably in Shell’s immersion cooling fluids as they did in traditional air-cooled environments, offering reassurance to operators looking to scale the technology.
Immersion cooling involves submerging servers in non-conductive liquid. The method is gaining market share as so-called hyperscale and localized edge computing workloads strain the limits of conventional air cooling. The method enables more efficient heat transfer and can support denser computing configurations with reduced environmental impact. Researchers claim space savings of up to 80% when data centers are immersion cooled.
The move comes as the immersion cooling market is gaining momentum and projected to grow by more than 20% through 2030, according to research firm MarketsandMarkets. Demand is driven by rising power densities, AI workloads and increasing sustainability mandates from hyperscale cloud operators.
The endorsement from Intel could spark a wider adoption of immersion cooling fluids made from synthetic or modified hydrocarbon bases. These fluids require advanced formulations to ensure dielectric stability, thermal performance, and longevity under constant thermal cycling.
The development also presents a lifeline to the global lubricants industry, which has been grappling with gradually declining demand due to the rise of electric vehicles and increasingly efficient engine technologies.
Industry players are looking to diversification strategies. Eneos Holdings Inc., Japan’s largest lubricant producer, confirmed at the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association conference in April that it is also developing a proprietary immersion cooling platform for data centers and stationary power systems.
As data intensity grows and pressure mounts to decarbonize digital infrastructure, immersion cooling is emerging as a go-to solution – and lubricant makers like Shell are betting on it to fuel the next era of growth.