CAICT Cloud and Big Data Research Institute Releases "Panoramic Research Report on the Liquid Cooling Industry for Intelligent Computing Centers (2025)"

The vigorous wave of the computing power era is profoundly reshaping the development pattern of underlying infrastructure. Traditional data centers are accelerating their evolution into intelligent computing centers, which are characterized by high density and high computing efficiency. The 'Special Action Plan for the Green and Low-Carbon Development of Data Centers' jointly issued by four ministries and commissions including the National Development and Reform Commission proposes to 'promote efficient cooling and heat dissipation technologies such as liquid cooling, evaporative cooling, heat pipes, and fluorine pumps in light of local conditions, and improve the utilization rate of natural cold sources'. The 'Action Plan for the High-Quality Development of Computing Power Infrastructure' jointly issued by six ministries and commissions including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology mentions 'supporting the application of new technologies such as liquid cooling and energy storage', providing clear guidance for the application and deployment of liquid cooling technology in new-type computing power infrastructure represented by intelligent computing centers.

Recently, the Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Institute of the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (hereinafter referred to as 'CAICT') released the 'Panoramic Research Report on the Liquid Cooling Industry for Intelligent Computing Centers (2025)' at the 'Computing Power Center Technology and Ecology Forum' of the 2025 China Computing Power Conference.

With liquid cooling and heat dissipation technology for intelligent computing centers as the core entry point, the report focuses on all links of the upstream, midstream, and downstream of the liquid cooling industry chain, covering important fields such as key components of liquid cooling systems, liquid cooling IT equipment, overall liquid cooling solutions, and the practice of liquid cooling intelligent computing centers. By sorting out and analyzing the industrial competition and cooperation situation, cutting-edge technologies, hot products, and future development trends of various segmented markets, it aims to present the overall picture and development context of the liquid cooling industry for intelligent computing centers in a multi-dimensional and three-dimensional manner.

Core Views of the Report

1. Empowering Industrial Development, Intelligent Computing Centers Build a New Foundation for Computing Power
    China's digital economy is developing vigorously, and the scale of intelligent computing power continues to expand. As of June 2025, the scale of China's intelligent computing power has reached 788 EFLOPS (FP16). The number of planned, under-construction, and completed intelligent computing center projects in China continues to break records, and they have become an important part of China's comprehensive computing power infrastructure system.

2. Solving Heat Dissipation Bottlenecks, the Application Penetration of Liquid Cooling Technology Increases
    The thermal design power consumption of high-performance IT equipment continues to rise, and traditional air-cooled heat dissipation systems have reached their capacity bottlenecks. Liquid cooling technology uses the high specific heat capacity and excellent thermal conductivity of coolant working fluids, and through close combination with heat-generating components, it can meet the deployment needs of high-power density cabinets, and has gradually become an inevitable choice for intelligent computing centers to achieve efficient heat dissipation.

3. Remarkable Practical Results, the Scale of the Liquid Cooling Market Expands Year by Year
    As liquid cooling technology becomes more mature and reliable, the industry's recognition of liquid cooling systems is constantly increasing, and the scale of China's liquid cooling market is expanding year by year. According to CAICT's calculation, the scale of China's liquid cooling market for intelligent computing centers reached 18.4 billion yuan in 2024, a year-on-year increase of 66.1% compared with 2023. It is expected that after 5 years of growth in the future, the scale of China's liquid cooling market for intelligent computing centers will reach approximately 130 billion yuan by 2029.

4. Moving Towards In-depth Application, the Liquid Cooling Industry Ecosystem Accelerates Maturity
     At the technical level, mainstream liquid cooling technologies will continue to evolve and innovate, promoting the continuous breakthrough of performance boundaries; at the standard level, technical specifications and evaluation systems will become increasingly improved, advancing in depth towards systematization and standardization; at the application level, the commercial implementation of liquid cooling technology will accelerate expansion, application scenarios will continue to enrich, and the industrial ecosystem will move towards a high degree of coordination and maturity.

Scale of China's Liquid Cooling Industry for Intelligent Computing Centers
Source: CAICT

Table of Contents of the Report

1. Joint Promotion of Policies and Demands Drives the Vigorous Development of the Liquid Cooling Industry
(1) China's Intelligent Computing Centers Step into a New Stage of Improving Quality and Efficiency
(2) Liquid Cooling Systems Reconstruct a New Paradigm for Heat Dissipation in Intelligent Computing Centers

2. Different Technical Paths Show Diverse Development Trends
(1) Wide Application of Cold Plate Liquid Cooling Technology
(2) Steady Development of Immersion Liquid Cooling Technology

3. Panoramic Situation of the Liquid Cooling Industry for Intelligent Computing Centers
(1) Panoramic Situation
(2) Liquid Cooling System Components
(3) Liquid Cooling IT Equipment
(4) Liquid Cooling System Technical Services
(5) Application Empowerment of Liquid Cooling Technology

4. Suggestions for the Development of the Liquid Cooling Industry for Intelligent Computing Centers
(1) Accelerate Technology R&D and Iteration, and Explore Application Scenarios in Multiple Fields
(2) Strengthen the Formulation of Standards and Specifications, and Guide the Orderly Development of the Entire Industrial Chain
(3) Promote Classification and Grading as well as the Division of Rights and Responsibilities, and Improve the Quality Control System of Liquid Cooling Products
(4) Strengthen Industrial Chain Cooperation and Build a Sound Ecological Cycle of the Liquid Cooling Industrial Chain

Brief Introduction of Key Experts

Guo Liang
Chief Engineer, Senior Engineer, Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Institute, CAICT
He is mainly responsible for government support, technical research, and standard formulation in the field of computing power. He has participated in a number of key R&D projects of national ministries and commissions, and supported the formulation of policies related to computing power infrastructure by national ministries and commissions such as the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the National Government Offices Administration, as well as local governments.

Xie Lina
Deputy Director of the Data Center Department, Engineer, Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Institute, CAICT
She is mainly engaged in policy support, industrial consulting, technical research, and standard formulation in technical fields such as intelligent computing, liquid cooling, and computing power centers.

Shao Jianfeng
Engineer, Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Institute, CAICT
He is mainly engaged in research on policy support, industrial consulting, and technical research in technical fields such as intelligent computing, liquid cooling, and computing power centers.

Liu Xinning
Engineer, Cloud Computing and Big Data Research Institute, CAICT
He is mainly engaged in research on policy support, industrial consulting, and technical research in technical fields such as intelligent computing, liquid cooling, and computing power centers.

Source: China Academy of Information and Communications Technology

Kres(Suzhou) Power Systems Technology Co., Ltd is an emerging company focused on fluid power solutions, and serve for the markets of Energy, Construction, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Transportation, Medical, Data Centers, etc., and was founded in 2022 with leading-edge engineering capabilities and innovative products to keep up with the changing customer needs. Including OCP standard UQD, UQDB, BMQC, manifold, EPDM hose and hose assemblies, FF9 full flow dual interlock quick disconnect coupling (a better replacement for FD83 series products), API heat transfer products, Gates EPDM hose and Wika products.

KRES FF9 connectors are specifically engineered for fluid transmission, electronic cooling, and data center liquid cooling applications, where full flow, fluid compatibility, and safety are of paramount importance. The FF9 series ball valve quick-disconnect couplings adopt a full-flow design and are now available in 2-inch, 1.5-inch, and the popular 1-inch sizes. The FF9 double interlock liquid cooling quick-change connector features a swivel structure at its tail, facilitating easy connection and disconnection. Additionally, its two connector halves are completely identical, simplifying maintenance, installation, and service processes.

· 100% full-flow interlock ball valve: The FF9 double interlock ball valve has a diameter of up to 21mm, ensuring large flow while reducing pressure drop, achieving large flow and low pressure drop, and has obtained SGS ROHS reports and Huace performance test reports.

· KRES interlock ball valve adopts a double interlock design with two locking mechanisms to prevent accidental disconnection and ensure data security.

· The FF9 liquid cooling quick-change ball valve has identical connector halves, making maintenance, installation, and service simple.

· As a liquid cooling quick-change ball valve for data centers, it has reliable and stable performance with minimal leakage, meeting the maintenance needs of safe machine relocation or shutdown.

· Standard body material of the liquid cooling quick-change connector: 304 stainless steel, with wide fluid compatibility, and other materials can be provided upon request.

· Standard sealing material of the liquid cooling quick-change connector: EPDM ethylene propylene diene monomer synthetic rubber, and other materials can be provided upon request.

· Operating temperature range of the liquid cooling-specific ball valve: -40℃ ~ 120℃