At UNICOM Engineering, engineering excellence has always been our foundation. For more than two decades, we’ve worked with Dell Technologies to help the industry’s leading OEMs deliver application‑specific hardware solutions that meet the unique demands of increasingly complex workloads. But where we truly shine is in the space between “standard” and “impossible”—the space where customization, innovation, and practical engineering intersect.
The recent collaboration between NUS, Dell, Shell, UNICOM Engineering, and GRC highlights what’s possible when engineering‑first organizations come together to accelerate liquid cooling adoption and reshape the future of data center design.
Why Customization Matters More Than Ever
As workloads increase in density and performance expectations rise, off‑the‑shelf hardware often falls short. For customers who need something different, something purpose‑built, customization becomes a strategic necessity, not a nice‑to‑have.
Every successful deployment we’ve delivered over the years has opened the door to new opportunities, reinforcing the value of deep technical capability, strong partnerships, and precise timing. Our role often begins with helping customers understand what’s possible, what’s practical, and how to plan for what comes next. This collaboration with NUS is the latest example of how shared innovation can accelerate progress across the entire ecosystem.
Shell’s Breakthrough: Fluids Designed for Next‑Generation Cooling
A highlight of the partnership is Shell’s gas‑to‑liquid technology, which produces ultra‑pure synthetic immersion fluids free from sulfur and heavy metals. The result is exceptional thermal and dielectric performance proven in real‑world HPC deployments across Shell’s manufacturing and exploration environments.
Shell also partnered with Intel to extensively test and validate these fluids, leading to Intel data center certification and full compatibility with 4th and 5th Gen Xeon processors, a major milestone in building industry confidence.
Why Liquid Cooling Is Playing a Growing Role in Modern Data Centers
NUS studies reaffirm what the industry already sees unfolding:
- Liquid cooling significantly improves energy efficiency, resulting in a lower PUE compared to traditional air cooling.
- Next‑generation high‑power chips will require liquid cooling for reliable operation.
- Benefits go beyond thermals: quieter operation, reduced water use, and opportunities for heat reuse all support a more sustainable data center ecosystem.
As part of its mission, NUS provides a neutral, world‑class test bed to validate and demonstrate emerging technologies, an environment where ideas turn into deployable solutions.
Evolving Needs: Where Air Cooling Begins to Reach Its Limits
As Dell emphasizes, the continued rise of AI, GPUs, and high‑TDP CPUs makes liquid cooling essentially inevitable. Without significant breakthroughs in semiconductor design or physics‑defying heat dissipation, air cooling simply cannot keep up.
What holds most organizations back is not the technology; it’s the perceived complexity of liquid-cooled integration. Mechanical, operational, and engineering considerations can feel daunting. But the technology is ready, and the path forward is clear: Start small. Build familiarity. Scale smart.
Helping Organizations Climb the Learning Curve
UNICOM Engineering has been through this journey firsthand. We understand the challenges, the unknowns, and the operational realities of deploying immersion and liquid cooling at scale. Today, we’re helping customers move through that learning curve faster, with more confidence, and with far fewer missteps.
Our advice to organizations considering liquid cooling is simple:
- Start now—even if it’s not a full deployment.
- Educate your teams—knowledge reduces risk.
- Identify high‑value use cases—AI, HPC, edge, dense compute.
- Make small, strategic investments—build internal champions and familiarity.
And when you’re ready, we help design, validate, deploy, and support a solution tailored to your environment from mechanical and fluid compatibility considerations to global logistics, compliance, branding, and lifecycle services.
Start your liquid cooling journey with a partner who’s already climbed the curve—contact UNICOM Engineering today to get started.