Shares in Munters (USOTC:MMNNF) fell by more than 5% on Wednesday after NVIDIA unveiled details of its new Rubin chip, which is designed to operate at substantially higher temperatures than conventional data center processors.
NVIDIA (NASDAQ:NVDA) said the Rubin chip can run efficiently at temperatures of around 42–45°C (108–113°F), a sharp contrast to traditional chilled-water cooling systems that typically function at 7–12°C (45–54°F). Even newer, more energy-efficient cooling designs generally operate at temperatures closer to 18°C (64°F).
Warm-water cooling is not entirely new, having been deployed for years in high-performance computing environments and select hyperscale data centers, mainly to improve sustainability and enable heat reuse. However, NVIDIA’s positioning of warm-water cooling as a viable default approach for large-scale AI workloads could mark a turning point for the industry if Rubin chips see broad adoption.
According to analysis from Kepler, a shift toward warm-water cooling as standard practice would likely make overall data center cooling demand more adaptable. This, in turn, could boost interest in hybrid cooling systems — a segment in which Munters already has an established product offering.