Imperial College London is firing up the UK's first direct liquid-cooled (DLC) AI deployment, through a deal with Digital Realty.
The DLC, high-performance computing (HPC) AI platform uses bespoke direct liquid-cooling technology supplied by Lenovo.
This allows it to deliver significantly higher compute performance per rack while reducing energy consumption, according to Digital Realty.
“Direct liquid cooling is becoming essential for modern AI and HPC systems, where performance and sustainability must go hand in hand,” said Kate Steele, director of HPC at Lenovo EMEA.
"We’re pleased to support this collaboration by providing a solution designed specifically for these intensive workloads, helping Imperial’s researchers unlock new possibilities while reducing the environmental footprint of high-performance computing."
Hosted at Digital Realty’s AI-ready Woking data center, the deployment will allow Imperial researchers to train larger and more complex AI models and support the acceleration of data-intensive simulations.
It could also help shorten the time from discovery to real-world impact across disciplines ranging from drug discovery and robotics to climate modelling and advanced materials.
"Advanced digital infrastructure is now as critical to research as laboratories and instrumentation,” said Jenny Rae, chief information officer at Imperial College London.
"This deployment gives our researchers access to the scale and performance they need to tackle some of the most complex scientific and societal challenges."
Imperial College is ramping up AI research
Imperial College is already one of the UK’s largest Tier 3 HPC university environments, researching AI, climate science, healthcare, and engineering.
This new deal builds on the Imperial College Intel Corporation Lenovo (ICICLE) initiative, first announced several years ago. This set out Imperial’s ambition to develop advanced, energy-efficient HPC and AI capabilities in partnership with leading technology providers.
“This deployment demonstrates what can be achieved when leading academic institutions, a global technology powerhouse, and digital infrastructure providers work closely together,” said Séamus Dunne, managing director, UK and Ireland, Digital Realty.
"Imperial’s research ambitions require an environment designed for extreme performance, resilience and sustainability, and we are proud to provide that platform at our Woking data center. Together, we are helping to create the technical foundations needed for the next generation of AI discovery in the UK."
The project was completed quicker than expected, with the contract signed in July 2025 and the fully operational environment handed over at the end of last year. This included structural floor reinforcement, installation of the DLC infrastructure, system integration, and commissioning.
"Working with Digital Realty provides us with a secure, resilient and sustainable platform, while Lenovo’s direct liquid-cooled technology allows us to grow our AI capabilities responsibly," said Rae.
"Together with our technology partners, we are building an environment that will serve Imperial’s research community for many years to come."
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Make sure to follow ITPro on Google News to keep tabs on all our latest news, analysis, and reviews.
You can also follow ITPro on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and BlueSky.
OpenAI's Codex app is now available on macOS
Notepad++ hackers remained undetected and pushed malicious updates for six months
