LG Electronics has achieved a significant milestone as its 2.5-megawatt coolant distribution unit (CDU) received NVIDIA's DSX Ready certification, granting the company technical eligibility to participate in NVIDIA's AI factory-related projects and laying the groundwork for securing AI data center liquid cooling orders in the future.

On September 22, LG Electronics announced that NVIDIA had added its 2.5 MW CDU to the DSX Ready certified products list. DSX Ready is NVIDIA's certification framework for AI factory-related infrastructure products, targeting large-scale AI data centers that integrate NVIDIA GPUs alongside cooling, power, networking, and operations technology.

Currently, only three CDU products worldwide have achieved DSX Ready certification at the 2.5 MW level, with LG Electronics' offering being one of them. However, obtaining certification does not guarantee an immediate order from NVIDIA, as final purchasing decisions still depend on the actual project requirements of NVIDIA and data center clients, as well as supplier selection processes. Following the announcement, LG Electronics' shares on the Korean stock exchange surged nearly 7%.

2.5MW Capacity Aligns with Core Rack Demands, Certification Expected to Boost Project Competitiveness

A key aspect of this certification lies in the fact that the 2.5 MW CDU's capacity closely matches the rack-level power consumption requirements of NVIDIA's AI factories. According to reports, a single server rack in an AI factory consumes approximately 120 kilowatts, and 20 racks combined total around 2.4 megawatts, which is close to the coverage capability of a single 2.5 MW CDU. Therefore, for AI data center projects targeting this power level, certified products are expected to offer more direct technical adaptability.

LG Electronics is not limited to just the 2.5 MW model. Previously, its 600-kilowatt and 1-megawatt CDU products also obtained certifications related to other data center applications, allowing the company to cover cooling needs across different data center scales and progressively build a product portfolio ranging from medium and low power levels to large-scale AI data centers.

Building a Full-Chain Liquid Cooling Strategy Centered on CDU

The CDU serves as the core equipment in LG Electronics' AI data center liquid cooling solutions, primarily responsible for coolant circulation and heat exchange, dissipating heat generated by high-power chips such as GPUs.

Around the CDU, LG Electronics is also advancing products and technologies including chillers, computer room air handling units (CRAH), and cold plates that directly contact chips for heat dissipation, aiming to extend from a single piece of equipment to a complete liquid cooling solution.

Market research firm TrendForce projects that the adoption rate of liquid cooling solutions in AI data centers will rise from 14% in 2024 to 60% in 2025. As AI server power consumption continues to increase, the application scope of liquid cooling in data centers is also expanding, providing a market foundation for LG Electronics to grow its related business.

Lee Jae-sung, head of LG Electronics' ES business division, stated that the company will use this NVIDIA DSX certification as a starting point to provide more reliable and efficient cooling solutions to major global technology companies, with plans to establish a leading position in the next-generation liquid cooling market.

For LG Electronics, the core value of this certification is not the order itself, but rather the eligibility to enter the supplier system for NVIDIA's AI factory-related projects. As NVIDIA's AI infrastructure construction continues to expand, whether the company can convert this certification into actual projects and bulk orders will be key to the subsequent growth of its liquid cooling business.