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Updated: April 2026
Rising power densities, tighter sustainability requirements and more complex operations are reshaping modern data centers. To meet these demands today and in the future, ebm-papst develops efficient, reliable and digitally connected cooling solutions.
Key takeaways
- Data center power consumption will rise 160 percent by 2030 — cooling demand will triple compared to 2023 (Statista).
- Liquid-to-air cooling (L2A): Cheaper and faster to deploy than pure liquid cooling, with equally high cooling performance.
- Rear door heat exchangers (RDHx): Removing heat directly at the rack significantly reduces the need for central room cooling.
- Active PFC: Integrated power factor correction cuts harmonics and allows smaller UPS and backup power sizing.
- NEXAIRA.Systems: A digital ecosystem for real-time cooling optimization with measurable energy savings.
Why liquid-to-air cooling is decisive
High-performance computing keeps growing because modern applications demand ever more compute capacity — from AI training and big-data analytics to complex simulations in industry and research. New generations of chips deliver significantly higher performance but also produce far more waste heat per rack. As a result, power density in data centers keeps climbing. Forecasts expect data center power consumption to rise by around 160 percent by 2030. That translates into a cooling energy demand roughly three times higher than in 2023.
Cooling demand in data centers will triple by 2030. Liquid-to-air systems offer a cost-efficient alternative to pure liquid cooling. (Source: ebm-papst)
New technologies such as liquid cooling can deliver higher cooling capacity, but liquid-cooling deployments are often expensive and take a long time to implement. The innovative fans from ebm-papst for liquid-to-air cooling systems (L2A) are cost-efficient, easier to deploy and deliver both high cooling performance and better overall efficiency.
Efficient cooling systems for low-carbon infrastructure
Tighter ESG requirements and ambitious sustainability targets demand cooling systems that use energy more efficiently and reduce the carbon footprint of the entire infrastructure.
The growing adoption of rear door heat exchangers (RDHx) follows the same principle: heat is removed directly at the rack, which significantly reduces the need for central room cooling. The fans ebm-papst has developed for this purpose are tuned for high power densities and optimal airflow in RDHx environments.
At the same time, ESG and energy efficiency call for precise load management. Because thermal loads vary sharply, cooling systems must respond flexibly. The digitally controllable fans from ebm-papst adapt their output to actual demand and cut energy consumption — especially in partial-load operation, which accounts for the majority of runtime.
Rear door heat exchanger (left) and InRow cooling (right): ebm-papst addresses both cooling topologies with flow-optimized fans. (Source: ebm-papst)
Maximum flexibility as performance demands grow
Modern data centers evolve in short cycles: new server generations, rising power densities and increasingly complex system environments push cooling requirements higher. What operators need are solutions that integrate seamlessly into different layouts and cooling concepts and work reliably even in tight installation spaces.
The fan and system solutions from ebm-papst meet these requirements with a wide range of variants, precisely tuned product families and high operational reliability. They deliver stable performance even under dynamic compute loads — creating a cooling foundation that scales flexibly and stays reliable over the long term.
Optimized power quality for economical cooling operation
Power quality is critical in data centers — especially where many fans run in parallel. Without the right measures, harmonics increase the load on power distribution and backup systems.
With integrated three-phase active PFC (power factor correction), ebm-papst reduces these feedback effects directly inside the fan and achieves a near-ideal power factor. As a result, transformers, UPS units and backup generators can be sized smaller, noticeably lowering the capex for electrical infrastructure.
NEXAIRA.Systems: the digital ecosystem for cooling optimization
Using intelligent data analytics and real-time control, the NEXAIRA.Systems digital ecosystem optimizes entire cooling infrastructures and significantly improves their efficiency. The outcome: measurable energy savings, stable operating conditions and data-driven thermal management for operators of energy-intensive cooling systems.
Operational data from fans and sensors is continuously analyzed so that airflows, pressure levels and fan speeds can be adjusted precisely to current requirements. By combining efficient control, transparent data usage and predictive monitoring, NEXAIRA.Systems supports ambitious ESG targets and rising performance demands.
Systems expertise for demanding cooling tasks
As a reliable partner in developing efficient cooling solutions, ebm-papst supports data center operators, planners and OEMs in meeting both current and future complex requirements. The result: solutions that reliably deliver on high performance demands and position data centers as sustainable, economical and future-proof.
Compact footprint, maximum cooling performance: ebm-papst fan solutions for dry coolers and condensers at the perimeter of a data center. (Source: ebm-papst)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is liquid-to-air cooling (L2A)?
L2A systems use a liquid as a heat transfer medium that absorbs waste heat from servers and releases it to room air via heat exchangers. Compared with pure liquid cooling, they are less expensive and easier to integrate into existing infrastructures.
What are rear door heat exchangers (RDHx)?
RDHx are cooling elements mounted directly on the back of server racks. They capture waste heat before it enters the room and significantly reduce the need for central room cooling.
What does active PFC mean for power infrastructure?
Active power factor correction (PFC) reduces electrical harmonics directly inside the fan. That allows smaller transformers, UPS units and backup generators — lowering the capex for electrical infrastructure.
What does NEXAIRA.Systems do?
NEXAIRA.Systems is a digital ecosystem from ebm-papst that analyzes operational data from fans and sensors in real time. It automatically optimizes airflows, pressure levels and fan speeds and supports predictive maintenance and ESG reporting.
Can cooling be retrofitted in existing data centers?
Yes. The fan and system solutions from ebm-papst are modular and integrate into different layouts and cooling concepts, including legacy facilities with limited installation space.
More on cloudmagazin.com
- From energy consumer to efficiency factor: modern cooling concepts for data centers
- Two thirds of Germans call for green power for new AI data centers
Header image source: ebm-papst
