Rotork and Parameter Partnering to Enhance Safety at Liquid-Cooled AI Data Centers

British-based flow control and instrumentation provider Rotork is partnering with monitoring technology firm Parameter on integrating new leak detection and mitigation technologies to meet the rising challenge of liquid-cooled data centers.

The two companies announced their collaboration on Wednesday. North Carolina-based Parameter’s real-time leak detection and monitoring technologies will be combined with Rotork’s electric actuators for valve control.

Electricity consumption in the data center and AI factory sectors may more than double by 2030. At the same time, the growing capacity of server racks is necessitating a movement toward liquid cooling by the digital infrastructure industry.

In fact, the value of the global data center liquid cooling market could nearly quintuple to perhaps $30 billion by 2033, according to Grandview Research and other financial forecasters.

“Liquid cooling is a non‑negotiable for AI infrastructure, but it also introduces new operational hazards,” said Mike Blazes, CEO at Parameter, in a statement. “Integrating high‑sensitivity leak detection with fast, automated fluid isolation can mean the difference between a contained incident and a cascading failure.”

Liquid has roughly 1,000 times the cooling capacity of air and is increasingly utilized as critical for supercomputing, according to the National Laboratory of the Rockies and other researchers. One supercomputing server rack might use up to 100 gallons per minute while the data center itself might move 5,000 gallons of water per minute to remove the heat from servers, according to reports.

Thermal design of microprocessors is rising well above the limits for effective air cooling and toward liquid cooling. While liquid cooling is well-designed for dealing with higher heat density, the risks if something goes wrong include server damage, environmental, energy and cost challenges.

When a leak is detected under this new collaboration, Rotork’s Hanbay electric value actuators would enable fluid isolation at rack, row or system level, while combined with Parameter’s sensing and control platforms.

“Protecting uptime, assets and safety is a critical priority in liquid-cooled data-centre environments,” said Tony Vangasse, Head of Strategy, CPI, Rotork. “Our collaboration with Parameter brings together real-time leak detection and fast-acting electric valve actuation to support rapid isolation when issues arise, helping reduce risk and maintain reliable operation.”

The risk of liquid cooling mishaps multiply as more AI data centers adopt the technology to handle heat removal in supercomputing and graphic processing units (GPU). The rollout of GPU maker NVIDIA’s GB200 NVL72 rack servers is pushing AI data center upgrades through more liquid cooling, according to reports.

Parameter is owned by May River Capital and was formed by the merger of RLE Technologies and NDSL. Rotork is one of the largest engineering and industrial firms in the United Kingdom and has acquired numerous actuator companies globally over the past 20 years.

The Parameter-Rotork collaboration is a partnership, not a merger or acquisition.