Optimizing Energy Efficiency in Data Centers through Cooling Systems

A new study from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology has highlighted the significance of cooling systems in data centers, which account for substantial energy use while offering energy-saving potential. Funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the National Key R & D Program of China, the research aimed to address energy conservation in cooling systems. The study investigated a free cooling system integrated with cold thermal energy storage, using a genetic algorithm (GA)-based model predictive control (MPC) strategy to optimize system performance.

Key Takeaways:

• The research found that optimizing cooling systems with power usage effectiveness (PUE) minimization as the objective function can reduce the PUE value by 0.018 compared to a baseline system.
• The study demonstrated that the MPC strategy can achieve significant improvements in energy efficiency, with a maximum PUE reduction of 0.0185 in the mild climate zone.
• The results of the study show that the proposed optimization strategy can adapt to different climatic zones in China and can be applied nationwide.
• The research concluded that optimizing cooling systems can lead to lower PUE values in regions with more abundant free cooling resources.
• The study highlights the importance of energy efficiency in data centers, which can lead to significant cost savings and reduced carbon emissions.

Statistics:

• The PUE value reduction achieved by the proposed optimization strategy is 0.018 compared to a baseline system (Energy, 2025; 336).
• The maximum PUE reduction achieved in the mild climate zone is 0.0185 (Energy, 2025; 336).
• The study used a genetic algorithm (GA)-based model predictive control (MPC) strategy to optimize system performance (Energy, 2025; 336).
• The research found that the most significant improvements in energy efficiency are exhibited in the mild climate zone where a maximum PUE reduction of 0.0185 is achieved.

Sources:

• "Optimization of a Free Cooling System Integrated With Cold Thermal Energy Storage In Data Center Based On Model Predictive Control." Energy, 2025; 336.
• "Huazhong University of Science and Technology Discusses Findings in Data Centers (Optimization of a Free Cooling System Integrated With Cold Thermal Energy Storage In Data Center Based On Model Predictive Control)." Information Technology Newsweekly, November 4, 2025; p 276.