Omdia forecasts liquid cooling will serve most of data-center IT capacity growth by 2030
DataNews Editorial Team
Omdia forecasts that annual additions of IT compute capacity across global data centers will reach about 70 GW by 2030, with liquid cooling supporting most of that growth. Direct-to-chip, single-phase liquid cooling (DtC/1P) is expected to remain the leading cooling approach over the forecast period.
- Omdia forecasts about 70 GW of annual incremental global data-center IT compute capacity by 2030.
- Liquid cooling is expected to serve most of the projected IT-capacity additions.
- DtC/1P is forecast to remain the dominant global data-center cooling approach.
- Cold plates are projected to rise from 40% to 61% of DtC/1P value-chain revenue between 2024 and 2030.
- CDU revenue is expected to grow in absolute terms, despite a declining share of DtC/1P ecosystem revenue.
Omdia expects annual additions of IT compute capacity in global data centers to reach approximately 70 GW by 2030. This is a forecast for annual incremental IT capacity, not confirmed commissioned capacity.
Liquid cooling is expected to support the majority of this additional IT load. Within the liquid-cooling market, Omdia expects direct-to-chip, single-phase cooling (DtC/1P) to retain a dominant position globally through the forecast period.
The forecast also indicates a changing revenue mix within the DtC/1P value chain. Cold plates are projected to increase their share of DtC/1P value-chain revenue from 40% in 2024 to 61% in 2030. CDU revenue is also expected to rise in absolute terms, but its share of DtC/1P ecosystem revenue is projected to decline.
For data-center operators and infrastructure suppliers, the outlook underscores the importance of cooling architectures suited to high-density GPU deployments. If the forecast is realised, spending and engineering focus could increasingly shift toward cold-plate assemblies and associated thermal-management components, while CDU suppliers would remain in a growing segment with a lower relative share of the DtC/1P revenue pool.
The forecast points to a material infrastructure shift as denser GPU clusters make liquid cooling integral to adding AI-oriented IT capacity. It also suggests that value creation within the DtC/1P supply chain could move further toward cold plates, while coolant distribution units (CDUs) continue to grow in absolute revenue but represent a smaller share of ecosystem revenue.
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This article was prepared by the DataNews editorial team based on the sources listed above.