Industry First -- Supermicro Systems Certified by Intel for an Immersion Cooling Solution

Rhea-AI Summary

Super Micro Computer (NASDAQ:SMCI) has achieved an industry milestone with its BigTwin® server system receiving Intel's first-ever certification for immersion cooling solutions. The certification applies to systems equipped with 4th and 5th Gen Intel® Xeon® Scalable Processors.

The certified BigTwin server has also passed Open Compute Project (OCP) specifications for material compatibility in immersion cooling environments. The system can significantly reduce Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) to values close to 1.05 or lower by utilizing advanced immersion cooling technology that eliminates traditional air-based cooling systems.

The certified configuration includes the BigTwin® SuperServer SYS-221BT-HNTR, featuring four hot-pluggable nodes in a 2U form factor, support for 5th/4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, up to 4TB of DDR5-5600 memory per node, and 3000W Titanium Level redundant power supplies.

Insights

Data Center Infrastructure Specialist

Supermicro's immersion cooling certification strengthens competitive position in growing energy-efficient data center market, particularly for AI workloads.

Supermicro has achieved a significant industry milestone with Intel's certification of their BigTwin® server for immersion cooling - the first server to receive this designation. This certification, alongside OCP compatibility validation, positions Supermicro advantageously in the rapidly growing energy-efficient data center market.

The immersion cooling technology enables dramatically improved Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratings of 1.05 or lower compared to traditional air cooling methods. This represents substantial operational cost savings for data centers, especially those handling compute-intensive AI workloads that generate significant heat.

What makes this particularly valuable is the elimination of traditional cooling infrastructure (CRAC/CRAH units) and internal server fans, resulting in both reduced energy consumption and increased rack density possibilities. The certified solution includes Supermicro's high-performance BigTwin® server with Intel's 4th and 5th Gen Xeon processors submerged in dielectric fluid.

The strategic timing of this certification aligns perfectly with increasing demands for sustainable cooling solutions as AI deployments accelerate. With data centers under pressure to reduce environmental impact while handling higher computational workloads, Supermicro's certified immersion-ready servers offer a compelling solution that addresses both concerns simultaneously.

The certification also creates a potential competitive moat through the rigorous testing requirements and OCP compliance, giving Supermicro a first-mover advantage in a specialized but increasingly important market segment. As the company holds an OCP Advisory Board position, they're well-positioned to influence future standards in this space, potentially creating long-term strategic advantages in the immersion cooling ecosystem.

• Supermicro's BigTwin^® Multi-Node Server with 5^th Gen Intel^® Xeon^® Scalable Processors is now certified by Intel
• Server system design supports OCP immersion guidelines that enables industry-wide compatibility

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI), a Total IT Solution Provider for AI/ML, HPC, Cloud, Storage, and 5G/Edge, is announcing an industry immersion cooling certification for Supermicro's BigTwin Server with 4^th and 5^th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable Processors from Intel. With rigorous testing, the Supermicro server, in combination with a defined liquid and immersion tank, is quality/performance tested and is now recognized as a certified immersion server. In addition, the Supermicro BigTwin system has passed thorough testing as specified by the Open Compute Project (OCP) specification for material compatibility for immersion cooling.

"Supermicro's collaboration with Intel is a long-standing, strategic association that combines Intel's cutting-edge processor technologies with Supermicro's high-performance building block solutions, including AI, HPC, intelligent edge/IoT, networking, and storage," said Ray Pang, Senior Vice President of Technology Enablement, Supermicro. "Certifying our BigTwin server for immersion cooling within the Intel and OCP guidelines and practices ensures customers that their Supermicro server will be fully functional when immersed in the specified liquid."

Learn more about Supermicro's liquid cooling solutions here.  

Supermicro immersion-certified servers can significantly lower Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) by leveraging advanced immersion cooling technology that eliminates the need for traditional air-based cooling systems. By submerging factory built high-density, fanless servers directly in dielectric fluid, heat dissipates much more efficiently than with air, reducing the energy required for cooling solutions like CRAC and CRAH units. This approach not only minimizes cooling overhead but also allows denser compute configurations without increasing thermal load. Furthermore, removing internal server fans decreases overall IT equipment power consumption, which improves the Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE). Consequently, data centers using Supermicro immersion servers are capable of achieving PUE values close to 1.05 or lower, significantly reducing energy costs and environmental impact for the entire data center.

"Intel worked hand-in-hand with Supermicro, along with key tank and fluid providers, to certify their multi-node BigTwin® system, passing the rigorous testing that immersion cooling requires," said Rami Khouri, Intel VP, Platform Engineering Group GM, Data Center Hardware Engineering. "This first-of-its-kind solution, known as Intel Data Center Certified for Immersion Cooling, ensures that Supermicro customers can be confident that the BigTwin systems will continue to perform as expected and give its data center customers a clear path to sustainable, efficient cooling in the AI era."

Supermicro, as a member of the Open Compute Project (OCP) Advisory Board, has played a critical role within the OCP Community. The Open Compute Project immersion cooling recommendations offer significant advantages by ensuring compatibility, efficiency, and scalability across data center deployments. These guidelines promote standardized hardware interfaces, fluid specifications, and operational best practices that simplify the integration and maintenance of immersion-cooled systems.

"We are grateful for the role that Supermicro has played within the OCP Community, and eager to see what the future holds," Michael Schill, Senior Director of Community, Open Compute Project Foundation. "The leadership and industry expertise contributed by the Supermicro team has been instrumental in driving innovation forward, not only within the Immersion Subproject, but across the entire OCP Community."

Utilizing Supermicro's BigTwin immersion servers alongside Intel's Advanced Data Center Development Laboratory (ADDL) immersion cooling technology involves submerging server components in a thermally conductive dielectric fluid. This method effectively dissipates heat, enabling enhanced performance and reduced energy consumption compared to traditional air cooling. Supermicro's BigTwin servers have shown reliability within the OCP specifications and allow data centers to achieve improved thermal management and operational efficiency.

Supermicro's BigTwin server architecture is a high-density, multi-node platform designed to deliver exceptional performance and efficiency for demanding workloads. When paired with Intel's advanced data center liquid immersion cooling solution, Supermicro BigTwin servers offer a compelling combination of computational power and thermal management.

Specifically, the now certified system tested consisted of:

• BigTwin^® SuperServer SYS-221BT-HNTR 
• Four hot-pluggable systems (nodes) in a 2U form factor. Each node supports the following:
  • Socket E (LGA 4677) support 5th/4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors Intel^® C741
  • 16 DIMM Slots supporting up to 4TB of memory; ECC RDIMMs up to DDR5-5600
  • 2 PCIe 5.0 x16 (LP) slot;
  • Tool-less support
  • Internal PCIe 4.0 for 2 x4 M.2 NVMe support onboard
  • Optional M.2 (22x80) HW RAID1 NVMe Boot Controller via SCC-A2NM2241G3-B1
  • Network connectivity via AIOM (OCP 3.0 compliant)
  • 3000W Redundant Power Supplies Titanium Level (96%+); Shared Power Design

The work surrounding Intel's ADDL immersion solution—especially in collaboration with Supermicro and other ecosystem partners—has significantly advanced the Open Compute Project (OCP) immersion cooling standards, particularly in defining acceptable operating conditions, safety, and component reliability within immersion environments.

The growing demand for immersion-certified servers, particularly Supermicro's offerings, arises from the increasing need for highly efficient cooling solutions in data centers, especially as AI and HPC applications require increasingly powerful processors. Immersion cooling offers a more efficient and sustainable way to manage the heat generated by these processors compared to traditional air-cooling methods and can reduce the PUE in a data center to nearly 1.0.

About Super Micro Computer, Inc.

Supermicro (NASDAQ: SMCI) is a global leader in Application-Optimized Total IT Solutions. Founded and operating in San Jose, California, Supermicro is committed to delivering first-to-market innovation for Enterprise, Cloud, AI, and 5G Telco/Edge IT Infrastructure. We are a Total IT Solutions provider with server, AI, storage, IoT, switch systems, software, and support services. Supermicro's motherboard, power, and chassis design expertise further enables our development and production, enabling next-generation innovation from cloud to edge for our global customers. Our products are designed and manufactured in-house (in the US, Taiwan, and the Netherlands), leveraging global operations for scale and efficiency and optimized to improve TCO and reduce environmental impact (Green Computing). The award-winning portfolio of Server Building Block Solutions® allows customers to optimize for their exact workload and application by selecting from a broad family of systems built from our flexible and reusable building blocks that support a comprehensive set of form factors, processors, memory, GPUs, storage, networking, power, and cooling solutions (air-conditioned, free air cooling or liquid cooling).

Supermicro, Server Building Block Solutions, and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc.

All other brands, names, and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

 

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SOURCE Super Micro Computer, Inc.

FAQ

What is the significance of Supermicro's SMCI immersion cooling certification from Intel?

It's the industry's first Intel certification for immersion cooling solutions, validating the BigTwin® server's performance and reliability when using immersion cooling technology.

How does SMCI's immersion cooling technology impact data center efficiency?

The technology can reduce Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) to approximately 1.05 or lower by eliminating traditional air-based cooling systems and internal server fans, significantly reducing energy costs.

What are the key specifications of Supermicro's certified BigTwin® server system?

The system features four hot-pluggable nodes in 2U, supports 5th/4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, up to 4TB DDR5-5600 memory per node, and includes 3000W Titanium Level redundant power supplies.

How does SMCI's immersion cooling solution comply with industry standards?

The BigTwin system has passed Open Compute Project (OCP) specifications for material compatibility in immersion cooling, ensuring industry-wide compatibility and standardization.

What are the main benefits of SMCI's immersion cooling technology for data centers?

Benefits include improved thermal management, enhanced energy efficiency, support for denser compute configurations, and significant reduction in cooling-related energy costs and environmental impact.