Digital Realty announced a liquid-cooled bare-metal server service at its SIN11 data center in Singapore in 2021, developed with Singapore startup CoolestDC. The system used direct-to-chip cooling, and Digital Realty later reported that the servers could use up to 29% less power than conventional air-cooled servers. That figure is a company-reported upper bound—not a guaranteed saving for every workload or a measure of total facility energy use. The available sources confirm the historical offer, but not whether customers can still book it in 2026.
What Digital Realty announced for Singapore
The November 2021 announcement concerned hosted enterprise infrastructure, not a consumer cooling product. Digital Realty said its bare-metal service with liquid cooling would initially be available at Digital Loyang 1, also known as SIN11, in northeast Singapore. The service was developed with CoolestDC, a Singapore startup. Digital Realty stated an intention to extend the approach to other data centers, but the sources do not establish where that rollout occurred. Data Center Knowledge’s 2021 report described the announcement, partnership and initial location.
Digital Realty’s 2022 proxy statement also identifies SIN11 as offering liquid-cooled racks. Its SEC-filed proxy statement specifies direct-to-chip cooling.
How direct-to-chip cooling works
In direct-to-chip cooling, a cold plate transfers heat from the server chip to circulating coolant. This removes heat at the component rather than relying only on air moving through the server. It is distinct from immersion cooling, in which equipment is submerged in liquid; the SIN11 offering should not be described as immersion cooling. Nor does the documentation establish that every rack in the facility used liquid cooling.
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CoolestDC describes its work in liquid cooling and cold-plate engineering. The method is a data-center infrastructure design, not a plug-in retail accessory for an ordinary desktop or an independently verified compatibility claim for generic PC liquid-cooling kits.
What the reported power savings mean
Digital Realty reported that SIN11 servers using direct-to-chip cooling could reduce server power consumption by up to 29% compared with conventional air-cooled servers. The 2021 trade report also attributed the figure to the pilot. “Up to” matters: the number is a company-reported maximum, not a promised result for each server or workload. The sources do not provide the test’s sample size, server configuration, workload, or full methodology. It should not be read as a 29% reduction in the facility’s total energy use.
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The same 2021 report estimated annual electricity savings of up to $25,000 for a 25 kW rack. That was a historical estimate; the cited material does not state the electricity tariff, utilization, or calculation assumptions. It is not a current savings forecast, particularly given changes in electricity costs since 2021.
In that report, CoolestDC founder Dr Poh Seng Lee separately described potential energy reductions of 20–30% and water-use reductions of up to 50%. Those were his broader claims, not reported measurements established for the SIN11 pilot. They should not be treated as verified outcomes of this deployment.
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How the offer was tested—and what is known later
Data Center Knowledge reported that the pilot ran for six months and was funded by Temasek Foundation. CoolestDC’s timeline dates the SIN11 test start to September 2020. These details establish a pilot behind the subsequent offer; they do not supply a complete performance methodology. CoolestDC’s site provides its timeline and company context.
Digital Realty’s 2024 announcement describes broader high-density deployment capability, including direct liquid cooling and rear-door heat exchangers for power densities from 30 to 150 kW per rack and beyond. Those figures describe company-wide capability, not the SIN11 bare-metal service’s rack specification. See Digital Realty’s 2024 high-density deployment announcement.
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Digital Realty’s Singapore location page lists SIN10, SIN11 and SIN12, but a facility listing does not confirm that the original liquid-cooled bare-metal service remains bookable. A February 2026 announcement about Innovation Lab expansion in Singapore and Japan specifies 20 direct-liquid-cooled racks for the Japan location; that rack count is not a specification for Singapore. The announcement discusses both locations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What enterprise buyers should verify
For a buyer assessing this type of hosted infrastructure, the historic announcement is not a substitute for a current service specification. Confirm availability and fit directly with the provider, including:
- Service status and location: whether direct-to-chip bare-metal service is currently offered at SIN11, and what hardware and service terms apply.
- Workload and hardware compatibility: supported server configurations, accelerators, thermal limits and workload assumptions behind any performance claim.
- Rack and facility requirements: available rack power density, cooling interfaces, coolant and facility-side requirements, and operational resilience arrangements.
- Energy accounting: whether quoted savings apply to server power alone or include cooling and other facility loads, and what air-cooled baseline is used.
The public sources establish the historical SIN11 offer and reported comparison, but do not provide comparable vendor test data or a current service specification. A buyer therefore needs current, workload-specific terms before using the historic figures in a procurement or cost model.
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