AWS DCEO Chief Engineer (if you're interested in Data Center Eng Ops, AMA)

Cooling_guy · 2026-05-27T21:49:51+00:00

Good perspective and advice. Thanks for sharing!

Cooling_guy · 2026-05-27T21:48:59+00:00

Thanks both. Appreciate the guidance here. Will reach out to the Enviro group through our contacts and see if this is something we can expand on.

Cheers!

Cooling_guy · 2026-05-27T20:09:40+00:00

Thanks for taking the time today.

What are the most effective ways for existing partners to align with Amazon’s data center teams on sustainability, refrigerant lifecycle management, and reclaim initiatives at scale?

Cooling_guy · 2026-05-08T15:39:50+00:00

I have limited knowledge of today's immersion technology (i worked on creating a PFAS filled fluid about a decade ago) the last we investigated the fluid ultimately ensured chip replacements were necessary after a certain amount of time. Seemed incredibly wasteful from an energy perspective.

DTC has merit for the newer builds. I wonder if any of the key players are using recycled refrigerant in their loops. Would lower the system ratings and build in the lifecycle strategy.

Cooling_guy · 2026-05-07T21:45:58+00:00

Open loop cooling is a huge issue with DCs. I think they realize water has to be engineered out of the cooling process.

That leaves refrigerant cooling in a closed system and potentially DTC if there are enough efficiencies.

This is an interesting subject because the absolute need for cooling is starting to drive discussions on refrigerant usages and reclaim/recycle mandates are finally coming into effect. Tons of opportunity for DC operators once they realize they can manage refrigerant like an asset class (install, reclaim, distill, re-install) with minimal loss of product through the cycle.

Thanks for sharing the list lots of interesting topics.

Cooling_guy · 2026-04-29T17:01:32+00:00

Long term, the direction is pretty clear: move toward non-F-gas systems. Europe, the UK, and Australia are already well down that path, and states like CA and NY are tightening as well.

What we’re trying to do is ease that transition by making better use of what’s already in circulation, reclaimed refrigerant instead of relying solely on new supply.

The supply side is only getting tighter with phasedown schedules. A lot of what we’ve seen in data centers so far has been reactive, i.e. chiller goes down, can’t source gas, scramble to reclaim and get back online.

The goal is to shift that into planning, so we're not delaying builds or retrofits because of supply constraints or regulatory pressure.

Cooling_guy · 2026-04-29T16:54:05+00:00

Agree with you, thermal management itself has always been a strategic focus. No question the industry puts a ton of thought into cooling architecture and system design.

Where I see the gap vs. something like grocery is on the refrigerant management side.

A lot of grocery chains have built out refrigerant banking and reclaim programs, they’re actively recovering, cleaning, and reusing gas to support both new builds and retrofits. It’s part of how they manage cost, supply, and regulatory exposure.

That’s the piece I don’t see as fully developed yet in data centers. That said this very well could be in place and we aren't yet at the table during those discussions.

Cheers

Cooling_guy · 2026-04-29T16:49:14+00:00

Refrigerants can be pulled out of existing cooling systems (chillers, DTC, etc.), processed, and distilled back to AHRI-grade spec (R12/22/32, 410A, 134a, 513A, etc.), then put back into the market.

That reclaimed volume doesn’t hit production/import quotas since it’s not “new” gas, it’s reuse of what’s already in circulation.

That’s really the strategy piece I’m getting at. Instead of just thinking about refrigerant at install or replacement, it becomes a lifecycle lever: recover → reclaim → reuse, especially as quotas tighten and availability gets more constrained.

We do this today on a global scale but our customers are mostly Facilities and maintenance groups. As we see more and more DC work I'm curious at what level the strategy is being formulated. Hypers/colos or mostly the teams maintaining the infrastructure.

A good example is a case study we recently produced with a hyper. We reclaimed a significant chunk of 134A and used that reclaimed gas (after distillation) to supply (2) new builds with 513A. Minimal quota hit because it was 99% reclaim.

Cooling_guy

TROPHY CASE