Intel and Shell have partnered to deliver the first Intel-certified immersion cooling solution for Xeon processors, addressing rising AI data center demands.

As artificial intelligence workloads drive data center energy demands to new extremes, Intel and Shell have announced a collaboration to acceleratethe adoption of immersion cooling: a transformative shift in how hyperscale infrastructure is managed.

The 5th-Gen Intel Xeon processor showcased alongside a workstation setup in Hillsboro, Oregon, featuring Submer immersion cooling pods and Supermicro servers utilizing Shell's cooling fluid.

The partnership delivers the first-ever Intel-certified immersion cooling solution for 4th- and 5th-Gen Xeon processors, offering data center operators a pre-validated, warranty-backed pathway to high-performance, sustainable thermal management.

Raising the Bar on Cooling Certification

Intel’s Data Center Certified for Immersion Cooling program now formally recognizes Shell’s single-phase dielectric fluids as compatible with its Xeon server processors. This designation follows two years of joint testing and validation, including thermal performance benchmarking, 14-year accelerated aging simulations, and fluid compatibility assessments in Intel’s Advanced Data Center Development Lab.

With certification in place, Intel offers an Immersion Warranty Rider, extending standard warranty coverage to Xeon CPUs operated in immersion environments using Shell fluids. This milestone removes one of the largest barriers to adoption: the perceived risk of voided warranties or untested performance. Operators can now deploy immersion-cooled infrastructure with confidence, bypassing costly proof-of-concept phases and jumping directly into scale-out implementations.

Ecosystem-Wide Integration

Shell’s certification isn’t standalone; it’s part of a broader immersion ecosystem co-developed with Supermicro and Submer. Supermicro contributed immersion-optimized hardware, including the 2U4N BigTwin system supporting dual Xeon Platinum 8460Y CPUs. These servers eliminate internal fans in favor of forced convection heat sinks tailored for submerged operation. Submer, meanwhile, delivers immersion tanks and targeted flow control systems, ensuring optimal fluid dynamics across densely packed AI and HPC workloads.

Shell's immersion cooling fluid is poured into the workstation setup. 

Shell and Intel report that immersion cooling can reduce total data center energy use by up to 48%, primarily by eliminating power-hungry air cooling infrastructure. Capital and operating costs may drop as much as 33%, while server density increases tenfold in the same physical footprint. Intel notes an 80% reduction in required floor space and a 30% increase in hardware lifespan due to improved thermal consistency.

A Blueprint for Sustainable AI Infrastructure

Despite its advantages, immersion cooling has faced steep challenges: high upfront costs, lack of fluid and hardware standardization, limited warranty support, and concerns over chemical safety. The Intel-Shell partnership directly addresses these issues.

The new certification sets performance and aging benchmarks for dielectric fluids, including limits on acidity and dissipation factor. It ensures that Shell’s fluids operate reliably over simulated 14-year service lifetimes. Simultaneously, Intel’s redesigned heat spreaders and solder materials in Xeon CPUs prevent material degradation when immersed. Hardware from Supermicro has been re-engineered with corrosion-resistant components and fanless designs to thrive in submerged environments.

For data center operators navigating the twin pressures of rising compute intensity and sustainability mandates, the Intel-certified Shell immersion cooling solution delivers a rare combination: proven efficiency, risk mitigation, and deployment readiness.

This collaboration not only represents a design win for immersion technology but also lays the foundation for a broader rethinking of thermal strategy in the AI era. By creating a standards-based ecosystem of processors, fluids, and infrastructure, Intel and Shell are leading the charge toward data centers that are not just faster and denser but markedly more sustainable.

All images used courtesy of Intel.