Castrol cooling fluids win NVIDIA validation for AI

Two of Castrol's direct-to-chip cooling fluids, Castrol ON PG25 and PG25T, have been validated to meet NVIDIA requirements for AI factory and data centre infrastructure.

The validation covers fluids used in liquid-cooling systems for computing hardware that generates large amounts of heat, including processors commonly deployed in AI and high-performance computing environments.

Demand for liquid cooling has risen as operators pack more computing power into data centres to support AI workloads. Higher rack densities and heavier use of central processing units and graphics processing units have made heat management a bigger challenge for operators that have traditionally relied on air cooling.

Direct-to-chip cooling circulates fluid through cold plates attached to components such as CPUs and GPUs. In closed-loop systems, the fluid recirculates without exposure to the atmosphere, reducing evaporative water loss compared with some other cooling approaches.

The review examined corrosion resistance, thermal stability, dilution-water quality, propylene glycol base-fluid purity and compatibility with wetted materials. Those materials include metals, plastics and seals that come into contact with fluid inside a liquid-cooling system.

The assessment also looked beyond product chemistry. It covered Castrol's business operations and the resilience of its global supply chain, an issue that matters to operators and equipment makers seeking continuity across multiple regions.

Technical review

The two fluids are part of Castrol's portfolio for direct-to-chip cooling in data centres and related infrastructure. The validation is intended to give data centre operators, equipment manufacturers and cooling-system providers more confidence when choosing fluids for AI infrastructure.

That matters because fluid selection can affect maintenance schedules, component compatibility and long-term system reliability. Operators building AI facilities are under pressure to avoid unplanned downtime while managing rising energy use and tighter performance demands.

Castrol's products were reviewed against NVIDIA's requirements for AI factory and data centre infrastructure, placing them among the technologies assessed for use in systems designed around NVIDIA's computing platforms. NVIDIA has become a central supplier to the AI data centre market as demand for training and inference hardware has expanded.

Liquid cooling has drawn wider attention across the industry as data centre developers look for alternatives to air cooling for denser deployments. While air remains common in many facilities, direct liquid methods are increasingly being considered for systems where heat loads are harder to control.

Market pressure

The growth of AI has changed infrastructure planning across the sector. Operators, colocation providers and equipment vendors are rethinking power, cooling and water use as they build sites for more intensive computing tasks.

Castrol, better known for lubricants, has expanded its thermal management business through the Castrol ON brand. It serves data centre and energy storage markets in the US, Europe, the Middle East, China, Australia and Southeast Asia.

The validation is likely to strengthen Castrol's position in a market attracting a broader mix of industrial, chemical and engineering suppliers. As liquid cooling becomes more common in AI-focused facilities, providers are seeking to demonstrate not only product performance but also manufacturing consistency and global support.

Peter Huang, global president of thermal management and data centres at Castrol, described the decision as part of a wider shift in how AI infrastructure is being designed and run.

"As AI infrastructure scales, the industry needs cooling solutions that are effective, practical to deploy and reliable over the long term," Huang said. "The inclusion of Castrol ON PG25 and PG25T within NVIDIA-Validated AI Factory Infrastructure gives customers added confidence in both the fluids' performance and Castrol's ability to provide consistent global support across markets. It is an important step towards making liquid cooling a dependable part of AI factory design and operation."

Castrol tests each thermal management fluid before commercial release under demanding conditions intended to reflect data centre use.

"We evaluate every thermal management fluid under rigorous test conditions before it reaches the market. The validation from NVIDIA confirms that PG25 (OAT) and PG25T (IAT) hold up to that standard, even at the scale and intensity of today's AI infrastructure," Kim said.