The groundbreaking collaboration between IIT Bombay and Vertiv heralds a new era of innovation in AI infrastructure, tackling the escalating thermal challenges of high-density data centres with cutting-edge cooling solutions tailored for India’s booming digital economy. Announced recently, this partnership merges IIT Bombay’s world-class academic research with Vertiv’s global engineering prowess, promising energy-efficient systems that will power the next wave of AI adoption across sectors like healthcare, finance, and manufacturing. IIT Bombay Director Professor Shireesh Kedare hailed it as a vital bridge converting lab breakthroughs into industry-ready technologies.
At the heart of this initiative lies the development of advanced liquid and hybrid cooling prototypes, starting with a 40 kW dry cooler designed for surging GPU power demands—from 700W in 2022 to 1,200W by 2025. The project kicks off at IIT Bombay’s state-of-the-art Heat Pump Laboratory for rigorous testing, followed by validation at Vertiv’s Pune facility, ensuring scalable, sustainable performance under real-world AI workloads. Leveraging IIT’s patented Rotating Contacting Disk (RCD) technology, which slashes air-side pressure drops and enables recycled water use, the duo aims to deliver quieter, more efficient cooling towers that cut fan power by up to 4x while aligning with Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat visions.
This synergy extends beyond technology, nurturing a talent pipeline of industry-ready engineers through hands-on training and mentorship. With 54% of Indian businesses already embracing AI, the partnership positions India as a global leader in sustainable data centre infrastructure, reducing operational costs, enhancing reliability, and minimizing environmental impact. Vertiv’s real-time insights from thousands of live sites combined with IIT’s computational expertise promise rapid deployment blueprints for hyperscalers and operators nationwide.
As India accelerates its digital transformation, this alliance exemplifies academia-industry harmony driving inclusive growth. By addressing cooling bottlenecks head-on, IIT Bombay and Vertiv are not just cooling machines: they’re fueling the AI revolution for a brighter, greener future.