'Holy crap, this is not how you cool facilities' Nuclear engineer wants to use special bubbles to save AI data centers from a massive energy crisis

Date:
Thu, 18 Jun 2026 22:35:00 +0000

Description:
MIT researchers adapted nuclear reactor cooling principles to reduce energy consumption and water use in rapidly expanding AI data centers.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Tiny bubbles could
significantly reduce cooling demands inside AI facilities Researchers adapted nuclear reactor science for modern computing infrastructure Ferveret claims 15% efficiency gains over existing liquid cooling Artificial intelligence is driving a rapid expansion of computing infrastructure, creating fresh
concerns about electricity consumption and long-term sustainability.

Industry estimates suggest data centers could account for between 9% and 17% of total United States electricity usage by the end of this decade. Roughly one-third of that power currently goes toward cooling the processors that run AI tools and other demanding workloads. Latest Videos From Watch full video here: Nuclear reactor principles find a new role in data center cooling Now, startup Ferveret believes a technology adapted from nuclear reactor research could significantly reduce the energy required to cool modern computing systems.

Founded by former MIT postdoctoral researcher Reza Azizian and MIT professor Matteo Bucci, the company developed a cooling approach called Adaptive Phase Cooling, or APC. You may like How wave-powered ocean platforms could meet AI data center energy demands Antimatter plans global AI network with 1,000
micro data centers by 2030 Saltwater cooling system could turn data centers into clean water producers

Rather than relying on traditional fans, the system submerges servers inside
a specialized liquid that removes heat more effectively than air.

The distinguishing feature involves the formation of very small bubbles on chip surfaces during operation. Are you a pro? Subscribe to our newsletter Sign up to the TechRadar Pro newsletter to get all the top news, opinion, features and guidance your business needs to succeed! Contact me with news
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According to the founders, those bubbles separate more frequently and rapidly recondense within the surrounding liquid, accelerating heat removal.

Ferveret adapted the concept from a nuclear engineering process known as subcooled boiling, which has been studied extensively for improving heat transfer efficiency inside reactors.

Air-cooling is associated with noise, bulk, and inefficiency three things Azizian decided he wanted no part of when he walked into his first data
center in 2017. What to read next The AI heat trap: why data centers must rethink thermodynamics Microsoft and Nvidia team up to use AI to reduce nuclear project bottlenecks China testing truck-mounted nuclear reactor built to power AI data centers for decades

"I thought, 'Holy crap, this is not how you cool facilities,'" he recalled, noting that air-cooling alone can consume as much as 40% of a data center's total power supply.

It was not an efficient way of doing things, but since it wasnt hurting the performance, no one cared that the cooling technology was 50 years old.

The company says its liquid does not contain PFAS chemicals, often associated with certain advanced cooling technologies.

Ferveret also delivers its APC platform through compact modular units, with each enclosure designed to hold a single server.

According to Azizian, The physics enable us to get to form factors that
werent possible in the past. Efficiency gains could ease pressure on growing AI infrastructure Ferveret recently collaborated with researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles, to evaluate the performance of its technology.

According to the company, the APC approach produced a 15% improvement in computational power efficiency compared with leading liquid cooling alternatives.

Ferveret further claims that combining APC with its control software enables operators to generate 35% more tokens from AI workloads using the same power supply.

The company also supplies racks, cooling distribution equipment, sensors, and monitoring software that continuously adjust operating conditions.

Bucci explained that the software analyzes temperature and pressure measurements in real time to reduce unnecessary energy consumption.

Liquid is a better heat transfer medium than air. Thats why when you stick your hand into room temperature water it still feels cold, Bucci explains.

When liquid is boiling, it becomes even better at removing heat because the phase change requires a lot of energy, which is the energy you remove from
the chip...

The founders argue that lower power demand and zero water consumption could make new facilities practical in regions where electricity and cooling resources remain limited.

That possibility could prove significant for parts of Africa, the Middle
East, and the United States, where solar energy is abundant while water availability remains constrained.

Ferveret is currently testing its technology with organizations including CleanSpark, FuriosaAI, and Switch, while also participating in Nvidia 's Inception startup program. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds.



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