What is the best approach to maintain optimal performance in a data center with GPUs generating significant heat?

Implementing liquid cooling for heat-intensive racks is considered the best approach to maintain optimal performance in a data center where GPUs generate significant heat. GPUs are known for their high processing power, but this often comes with high thermal output during intensive computations, which can lead to overheating if not managed properly.

Liquid cooling systems can efficiently absorb and dissipate heat compared to traditional air cooling methods. They can maintain lower temperatures even under heavy loads, leading to enhanced reliability and performance of the GPU servers. By keeping the temperatures within optimal ranges, liquid cooling allows for prolonged hardware life and consistent operational capacity.

In contrast, increasing fan speed to maximum may provide a temporary solution but could result in increased noise levels and energy consumption without effectively managing heat at high workloads. Scheduling AI workloads during off-peak hours may reduce heat generation at certain times, but it does not resolve the heating issue during peak performance. Additionally, distributing workloads evenly across servers helps to reduce the chance of any single server becoming a bottleneck, but it does not address the cooling requirements directly associated with high heat generation from GPUs. Therefore, liquid cooling is more effective in directly targeting the thermal management challenges posed by high-performance GPUs.