- Cooling costs increase as Nvidia pushes the power limits across successive rack generations
- Computer trays dominate spending due to increasing cold plate requirements and thermal density
- Shift tray savings cannot offset escalating demands from high power GPU trays
The cost of keeping Nvidia’s high-end rack systems cool continues to rise as each generation pushes deeper into extreme power levels.
A Morgan Stanley report obtained by @Jukanlosreve reveals that the liquid cooling hardware inside the GB300 NVL72 costs $49,860, about enough to buy a new Tesla Model Y.
The report further estimates that the liquid cooling system required for the newer Vera Rubin NVL144 configuration will approach $55,710, a 17% increase.
The economics of cooling at tray level
This platform relies on hotter Rubin GPUs rated at up to 1,800W per device, along with next-generation NVSwitch 6.0 components.
The cost of cooling this system is tied to the individual computer trays, and each computer tray will need higher capacity heatsinks.
The costs per computer tray is expected to increase by 18% to about $2,660 – and since the Vera Rubin NVL144 system has 18 trays, the total cost of computer cooling reaches about $47,880.
The increase comes from higher-capacity cold plates, which rise to $400 per device as CPUs and GPUs push thermal limits.
Meanwhile, tray cooling appears less burdensome, falling to $870 per tray and a total of $7,830 per tripod.
But this the reduction is overshadowed by the much larger jump on the computer side, as the cost progression follows a pattern: moving from the GB200 NVL72 saw a 20% increase in cooling requirements for the GB300 NVL72.
Similarly, moving from GB300 NVL72 to Vera Rubin NVL144 adds another 17%. The power levels explain this trend.
Each Blackwell Ultra data center GPU draws 1,400W, a Grace CPU takes 300W, and the memory contributes 200W per socket.
As workloads escalate, the value of precision cooling grows just as quickly, but future systems will further exacerbate this. Nvidia is planning a switch to Rubin Ultra GPUs that can reach a thermal design power of 3,600 W per package, and meeting this requirement may force new types of cold plates or more aggressive cooling techniques.
Nvidia is also prepping the liquid-cooled NVL576 “Kyber” system, which will include 144 GPU packs and will deliver higher performance than the Vera Rubin NVL144, while carrying an even bigger cooling bill.
Although the final dollar amount has not been confirmed, high-capacity panels capable of removing 3.6 kW of heat will clearly exceed the current $400 per panel. unit.
This sends a signal that future data center installations will face even greater thermal expenses.
Via Tom’s Hardware
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