LG Uplus, Ecolab Korea team up to develop liquid cooling standards for AI data centers

LG Uplus has joined forces with Ecolab Korea, a global water treatment solutions company, to jointly develop liquid cooling operating standards for AI data centers. The two companies plan to pilot cooling fluid quality management technology at Pyeongchon 2 Center and build an AI-based predictive maintenance system to strengthen next-generation infrastructure capabilities.

LG Uplus announced Tuesday that it signed an MOU with Ecolab Korea at its Yongsan headquarters in Seoul to optimize AI data center cooling system operations. The signing ceremony was attended by Jeong Suk-kyung, head of LG Uplus's AI data center business, and Ryu Yang-kwon, chief executive of Ecolab Korea, along with other senior officials from both companies.

According to LG Uplus, the rapid spread of AI services has driven growing demand for high-performance GPU servers, which in turn has increased heat generation at data centers. Liquid cooling technology, which offers superior thermal efficiency, has consequently emerged as a critical infrastructure component for AI data centers.

However, liquid cooling systems carry a risk of equipment failure if cooling fluid quality deteriorates or facilities are not properly managed. Establishing systematic management standards for stable operations is therefore essential.

To address this, the two companies plan to combine LG Uplus's AI data center construction and operational expertise with Ecolab Korea's global water treatment and cooling fluid management technology to jointly develop liquid cooling operating standards. They will focus particularly on verifying joint technology for operating the "TCS loop" — a system that circulates cooling fluid by connecting AI server racks to coolant distribution units.

Specifically, LG Uplus will provide a large-scale liquid cooling pilot environment currently being built at Pyeongchon 2 Center to validate AI infrastructure based on next-generation GPU architecture. Ecolab Korea will establish a cooling fluid quality management framework through its digital water quality monitoring system.

The two companies also plan to jointly analyze data from cooling fluid conditions and key cooling equipment to verify optimal operating standards and management practices. This will enable stable cooling of high-density, high-heat AI servers and allow early detection of anomalies in liquid cooling systems.

The partnership is set to expand further, with both sides planning to develop an AI-based predictive maintenance system capable of identifying potential issues in liquid cooling equipment before they occur.

LG Uplus said it aims to significantly strengthen its liquid cooling system operational capabilities through the collaboration. The company plans to build an integrated operating framework covering everything from liquid cooling facility construction and fluid quality management to real-time monitoring, underpinning its next-generation AI infrastructure.

"As AI data centers become increasingly dense and heat-intensive, liquid cooling operational capability is emerging as the core of AI infrastructure competitiveness," Jeong said. "Through this collaboration, we will secure liquid cooling operating standards and quality management systems, and provide customers with a reliable AI data center operating environment."

Ryu said systematic management of cooling fluids — not just cooling equipment — is essential for AI data center operations. "Drawing on Ecolab Korea's global expertise in data center water treatment and monitoring technology, we will work with LG Uplus to improve the reliability of liquid cooling operations and help establish industry operating standards," he said.