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HD Hyundai Oilbank, SNU join hands to install immersion cooling system for on-campus AI data center

Published: 26 Nov. 2025, 15:36 Updated: 26 Nov. 2025, 17:11

KIM MIN-YOUNG
[email protected]

HD Hyundai Oilbank logo [HD HYUNDAI OILBANK]

HD Hyundai Oilbank will work with Seoul National University (SNU) to install an immersion cooling system at the university’s on-campus AI data center, the company said Wednesday. The company signed a memorandum of understanding with SNU’s College of Engineering and Databean, a firm specializing in operating immersion cooling systems.

The partnership responds to problems in SNU’s existing air-cooled AI research lab, where rising internal temperatures and constant fan noise have disrupted research. As the university expands its AI computing capacity, the need for a more efficient cooling method has grown.

HD Hyundai Oilbank said it plans to begin testing in early 2026 by transitioning the lab’s existing air-cooled setup to an immersion cooling system using the company’s own technology.

Under the project, SNU will provide the data center space and GPU servers needed for performance testing. HD Hyundai Oilbank will supply immersion cooling liquid and provide technical consulting and maintenance. Databean will install its SmartBox immersion cooling system and analyze operational data.

By applying the system directly to servers in active use at SNU, HD Hyundai Oilbank said it will be able to verify the stability of immersion cooling technology in a real AI research environment for the first time in Korea.

“This demonstration project allows us to confirm the feasibility of immersion cooling systems even in smaller-scale server environments such as research labs and smart factories,” a company spokesperson said. “Building on this, we plan to gradually expand our demonstration scope and establish a foundation for entry into large data centers.”

BY KIM MIN-YOUNG [[email protected]]