Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is fast becoming essential to the evolution of AI scale data centres, where the density and complexity of compute workloads are reaching unprecedented levels. Maintaining performance and resilience in these environments demands more than traditional design, it requires precision engineering, proactive risk mitigation, and advanced simulation-based verification. CFD plays a pivotal role in delivering all three.
In this article, Ramamoorthy Sethuramalingam, Associate Director and Head of CFD explores how CFD supports smarter engineering decisions for AI-ready, high-density data centres, from rack-level airflow to site-wide heat rejection systems.
Smarter Data Centre Cooling Strategies with CFD
CFD empowers our engineering teams and clients to visualise and optimise airflow, pressure zones, and heat distribution across high-density environments. Whether designing a new facility or fine-tuning an existing one, CFD provides a predictive lens into system behaviour, preventing thermal hotspots, supporting uptime, and driving operational efficiency from day one.
Internal Air-Side Cooling in AI Data Halls
In conventional air-cooled halls, CFD identifies recirculation issues, airflow short circuits, and ineffective containment strategies. Using these simulations to design optimised cold-aisle and hot-aisle systems, ensuring even the most power-dense racks are cooled reliably, without over provisioning.
Modelling Liquid Cooling Systems for High-Density Loads
As air cooling reaches its limits, AI workloads increasingly rely on direct-to-chip cooling, immersion systems, and rear-door heat exchangers. CFD enables our engineers to model coolant 1-D flow paths, detect imbalances, and anticipate temperature deviations before deployment. It also allows simulation of failure modes (such as pump outages, power outages, equipment failures etc), so that robust contingency plans are embedded in the design.
To support large-scale liquid cooling topologies, integrating 1-dimensional thermal and hydraulic modelling. This allows us to size pipework, optimise pump selections, and ensure consistent flow across parallel circuits. For AI-ready campuses, 1D and 3D simulations together deliver a holistic, scalable cooling strategy with built-in redundancy.
Buffer Vessel CFD Optimisation
Buffer vessels are critical for thermal inertia and flow stability. And using vessel mixing patterns, heat retention, and dynamic load responses, CFD guarantees that temperature fluctuations are smoothed out-even during power failure transient states like load spikes or component failures and ensuring IT reliability.
External Plant Performance
Chillers, dry coolers, and adiabatic systems play a central role in rejecting heat from IT to the atmosphere. CFD helps us evaluate the interaction between plant layout, prevailing winds, building geometry, and heat plumes. This insight is vital to prevent thermal recirculation, reduce fan energy, and maximise the effectiveness of external plant assets in any climate.
Modular Pod-Level Simulations
For rapid-deploy modular systems and containerised electrical pods, CFD delivers pre-installation design validation. Our CFD engineers test pod configurations to ensure airflow integrity, containment compatibility, and cooling adequacy before physical deployment reducing commissioning risks and accelerating rollout.
At Black & White Engineering Ltd, CFD is more than a modelling tool, it’s a strategic asset. From rack-level detail to site-wide thermal resilience, our CFD-driven approach supports smarter, safer, and more scalable AI data centre environments. As compute intensity increases, so does our commitment to delivering engineering solutions that keep performance, sustainability, and reliability in perfect balance.
Want to enhance the resilience and efficiency of your AI-ready data centre?
Contact our team to explore how CFD led design can transform your infrastructure. Visit our contact page to start the conversation.