Salute & Phaidra unite to boost AI data centre cooling

Salute and Phaidra have formed a strategic partnership that combines automated data centre control software with an operations service for direct-to-chip liquid cooling, as operators push to run higher-density AI systems in existing and new facilities.

The integrated offering aims to address the operational complexity of continuous, high-load compute environments and liquid cooling. As chip power rises, operators have increasingly turned to liquid cooling, which changes day-to-day procedures and increases monitoring and response requirements.

Data centre operators and cloud providers have been investing heavily in GPU clusters for AI training and inference. That build-out has increased demand for facilities capable of supporting higher rack densities and tighter thermal margins than earlier generations of enterprise computing.

Operations focus

Phaidra supplies an AI-driven control and optimisation system for data centres, targeting power and cooling systems and making control decisions in dynamic environments. Salute provides lifecycle services for data centres and has developed a Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling Operations Service focused on operational processes, staffing, and runbooks for liquid-cooled environments.

Under the partnership, Phaidra's control system will be integrated into Salute's liquid-cooling operations service. The companies described the result as a way to stabilise performance and reduce risk as operators move to higher-density AI deployments.

The partnership reflects a broader shift in the sector. Mechanical and electrical infrastructure is becoming more closely tied to compute operations as AI workloads push facilities closer to thermal and power constraints. Operators are also paying more attention to control systems that can react quickly to fluctuating workloads and changing environmental conditions.

"The power density of AI computing and the complexity and risk of liquid cooling require an entirely new approach to data center operations," said Erich Sanchack, Chief Executive Officer, Salute.

Sanchack added: "Without the right approach to operations, organisations will face fundamental challenges to deploying AI at the speed and scale that is needed. Salute and Phaidra are eliminating those obstacles with this integrated solution that combines intelligent, AI-driven control systems with proven operational execution in ways that unlock the ability for companies to scale with speed and confidence."

Control systems

Phaidra says its AI agents autonomously manage complex power and cooling systems, adjusting as conditions change. It also says its technology has reduced cooling energy consumption and improved thermal stability in hyperscale environments.

The company cited a "70% improvement in thermal stability on large GPU clusters utilising the latest NVIDIA GB200/300 platforms". The reference underscores how closely operators align facility roadmaps with the latest GPU platforms, which often introduce new requirements for power delivery and heat removal.

Liquid cooling is moving from niche deployments to wider adoption, particularly in AI-focused suites. Direct-to-chip approaches circulate coolant through cold plates attached to processors, rather than relying on air movement across heat sinks. The method can reduce the amount of air handling needed in parts of a facility, but it also introduces pumps, manifolds, and new points of failure that require operational discipline.

Salute frames its liquid cooling operations as a way to manage those risks as deployments scale. It also describes its "AI as a service" as a comprehensive approach for AI and high-performance computing environments. Based on references to runbooks and risk management around liquid cooling, the term refers to operational services rather than a cloud AI product.

"Together, Phaidra and Salute are making it faster, simpler and safer for companies to scale their AI operations," said Jim Gao, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Phaidra.

Gao added, "The combination of Phaidra's AI-driven control and optimisation platform with Salute's world-class operational model for DTC liquid cooling delivers performance, reliability, precision, risk mitigation and operational excellence. This integrated solution will also enable customers to create continuous improvement loops where insights from the systems and operations teams drive enhancements that further enhance reliability and efficiency. This is a solution truly built for AI factories at scale."

Recent moves

Salute said the partnership builds on its acquisition of Northshore and the integration of the Seastack sustainability platform. It said these additions strengthened its operating model with sustainability intelligence and lifecycle execution.

Founded in 2013, Salute operates in more than 102 markets and has 12 global offices. It has more than 2,200 employees and works across hyperscale, cloud, colocation, and edge facilities.

Phaidra was founded in 2019 by engineers with backgrounds at Google, DeepMind, and Trane. It focuses on large-scale data centre operations and industrial controls and is part of Nvidia's partner ecosystem.

The partners expect the combined offering to be used by operators building higher-density AI environments, where cooling and power systems must respond continuously to changing loads and operational processes must match the complexity of liquid-cooled infrastructure.