Immersion cooling

Air-cooled ASICs rely on powerful fans that pull dust and humidity through the hardware. In immersion systems, the fans are removed and the machines are placed in tanks of dielectric fluid, an oil that does not conduct electricity. The fluid absorbs heat directly from the chips and is pumped through heat exchangers or dry coolers. Two-phase systems use fluids that boil at low temperatures for even more efficient heat removal.

Better cooling lets miners overclock machines to produce more hashrate per unit, keeps chips at stable temperatures, and protects hardware from dust and corrosion, often extending its useful life. Immersion setups are nearly silent and work in hot climates where air cooling struggles, and the recovered heat can sometimes be reused for buildings or greenhouses.

The trade-offs are higher upfront costs, specialised infrastructure, fluid maintenance and harder repairs, since machines must be lifted out and drained. Overclocking also raises power consumption per machine, so the efficiency gains depend on electricity prices. Some manufacturers sell ASIC models designed specifically for immersion or hydro cooling.