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Alibaba says it has used its own immersion-based “soaking server” cooling system in data centers since 2015. The company reported that the system’s power usage effectiveness (PUE) reached as low as 1.09, but that is a company-reported figure for the immersion-cooling claim—not an independently validated result or a current average across Alibaba’s data centers.
What Alibaba’s “soaking server” cooling system does
Alibaba describes a system in which specialized insulating coolant surrounds server hardware and absorbs heat from its components. In a 2017 account, Data Center Knowledge relayed Alibaba’s description of the process: “The coolant absorbs the heat of the components before turning into gas, which is then liquefied back into the main cabinet for reuse.” The description indicates a closed reuse cycle, but does not identify the coolant’s chemistry or provide a complete system design.
Alibaba characterized the cooling approach as non-mechanical. That does not mean the whole data center operates without mechanical equipment; the available descriptions do not detail the full facility design or its supporting systems.
When Alibaba deployed it—and what the company claimed
In an announcement dated April 22, 2022, Alibaba said its soaking-server system had been deployed in its data centers since 2015. The company also claimed energy savings of over 70% compared with traditional mechanical cooling. The announcement does not provide a third-party study or complete methodology for that comparison, so the percentage should be treated as Alibaba’s claim rather than an independently verified result.
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In its November 2022 account of the 11.11 shopping event, Alibaba said its self-developed immersion cooling had reduced data-center energy consumption, with PUE “reaching as low as 1.09.” This is a reported low for the immersion-cooling claim, not an industry-wide benchmark or a stated average for Alibaba’s entire data-center portfolio.
How to read Alibaba’s later PUE and WUE figures
Alibaba’s FY2025 disclosure reports average PUE of 1.190 and average water usage effectiveness (WUE) of 1.144 across its self-built data centers. These portfolio averages have a different scope from the 2022 immersion-cooling low of 1.09. The disclosure does not link those FY2025 averages to the specific immersion deployment, so the figures should not be read as a direct follow-up measurement of that system.
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| Figure | Scope and source | What it does—and does not—show |
|---|---|---|
| PUE as low as 1.09 | Alibaba’s November 2022 account of its self-developed immersion cooling | A company-reported low; not an established portfolio average or independent validation. |
| Average PUE 1.190 | Alibaba FY2025 disclosure, self-built data centers | A later company-reported portfolio average; not specifically attributed to the immersion system. |
| Average WUE 1.144 | Alibaba FY2025 disclosure, self-built data centers | A company-reported portfolio average for water usage effectiveness; not a measurement of the immersion system alone. |
PUE compares total facility energy with the energy used by IT equipment; a lower figure indicates less overhead energy relative to IT energy. WUE measures water use relative to IT energy. Neither metric alone establishes how a particular cooling technology performs under all operating conditions.
Why data-center cooling choices depend on location
Alibaba says it balances energy and water considerations against local conditions: it may prioritize air cooling in water-scarce areas and select water cooling in water-rich areas. That illustrates why a lower reported PUE does not, by itself, settle which cooling approach is best for every site. Workload density, operating requirements, local water availability, and the measurement scope all matter when comparing systems.
The figures and savings claims discussed here come from Alibaba company materials. The available sources do not provide independent facility-level validation, a complete engineering design, coolant specifications, or a published methodology connecting the 1.09 low to the FY2025 averages.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Alibaba made available through a patent pledge
In 2022, Alibaba said it was making nine green data-center patents available through the Low Carbon Patent Pledge. The company described the patents as including parts of its green data-center technologies, including the soaking-server cooling system. That announcement does not establish that every engineering detail, coolant, or commercial implementation is open source or freely available.
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