Aligned Data Centers Launches Delta Cube 3.0 Air Cooling System with 10% Efficiency Gains

Aligned Data Centers has unveiled the third generation of its in-house air cooling system, Delta Cube, as the data center industry continues to grapple with rising compute densities driven by AI workloads while seeking to maintain energy efficiency across increasingly power-hungry facilities.

The new Delta Cube (Delta³) 3.0, developed in partnership with power and cooling vendor Munters, delivers a ten percent increase in cooling capacity and a ten percent improvement in energy efficiency within the same physical footprint as previous iterations, according to the company. The closed-loop system requires zero water for operational cooling and is designed to drive what Aligned describes as a meaningful reduction in total campus power consumption at scale.

"For more than a decade, Aligned's growth has been fueled by a commitment to cooling innovation," said Michael Welch, Aligned Data Centers CTO. "As compute densities rise, air cooling isn't going away, it just needs to adapt to ultra-high-density environments. We engineered our new airside solution to deliver meaningful gains in capacity and efficiency within the exact same physical footprint. By reducing the energy needed to move air, those watts can be used by our customers for revenue-generating applications."

The efficiency gains were achieved through enhancements to Aligned's proprietary heat exchangers, supply fan impellers, and drive motors, developed in close collaboration with Munters' R&D team. The cooling units will be manufactured in the United States at Munters' facilities in Selma, Texas, and Daleville, Virginia, which together employ more than 670 workers. "The rollout of Aligned's Delta Cube 3.0 is a testament to what can be achieved when two industry leaders commit to advanced manufacturing right here in the US," said Frank Pellegrino, group vice president and president of data center technologies at Munters.

While many data center operators are turning to liquid cooling systems to handle the high-density racks required for AI workloads, air cooling remains a critical component in many facilities. Aligned is positioning Delta Cube 3.0 for customers seeking hybrid environments that combine both air and liquid cooling elements. The company launched a liquid cooling system called DeltaFlow in January 2024 that can be integrated with Delta Cube, and operates a cooling technology lab in Phoenix, Arizona, where it develops both liquid and air-based systems. Companies already using Delta Cube technology include Aligned-owned Brazilian data center platform Odata, which announced it would adopt the system in 2024, and US data center firm Netrality, which uses the Delta³ system at its 1301 Fannin Street facility in Houston, Texas.

The launch comes as Aligned continues to expand following its acquisition by a consortium of MGX, AIP, and BlackRock in July for a record-breaking $40 billion. The company's continued investment in cooling innovation underscores the growing importance of thermal management as data center operators balance the demands of AI-driven density with sustainability and operational efficiency targets.