Asperitas looks to flood the IT cooling industry

Data centers are a critical feature of the current digital economy, providing vital services to government, industry and the rest of society. In this era of big tech and big data, the demand for computing has never been greater. To perform these functions, however, these facilities require vast amounts of electricity to operate, not only to power the IT, but also to keep it cool. From expensive refrigeration to the buzz of noisy blowing fans, there are numerous techniques utilized for data center cooling. The problem: they’re terribly inefficient. This is where Asperitas, a Haarlem-based scale-up, looks to offer its alternative of what it refers to as immersed computing.

Back in 2014, Asperitas co-founders, CEO Rolf Brink and CFO Markus Mandemaker, worked to develop a similar core technology of immersion cooling for small, modular data centers at sea. Of course, building these types of facilities on ocean-going vessels is certainly no small feat. First, there are a number of logistical issues like constant movement, temperature changes and high humidity – all of which can wreak havoc on electronics. But, perhaps the biggest hindrance is that maritime digitization is several years behind that found on land.