GB200 NVL72 / Power and cooling
GB200 NVL72 power and cooling
A GB200 NVL72 needs several times the power and cooling of a normal data center rack. That decides where it can run, and whether to buy or rent.
Power per rack
NVIDIA's rack design for GB200 NVL72, contributed to the Open Compute Project, is built for 120 kW at 1,400 A, about double the rack designs before it (eeNews Europe, Oct 2024). Real deployments land close: Lambda's Supermicro-built GB200 NVL72 rack draws over 110 kW (DCD).
Liquid cooling is required
NVIDIA describes GB200 NVL72 as a liquid-cooled, rack-scale system (NVIDIA). The hall needs direct-to-chip cooling: coolant distribution units, facility water loops and manifolds to every tray. Most data centers were built for air and can't host it without a retrofit.
What this means for buyers
- Renting from an operator that already runs liquid-cooled halls is the fastest route for most teams.
- Buying and colocating means finding a facility with liquid cooling and high-density positions free on your timeline. These are scarce.
- Building means a new or retrofitted hall, with power and cooling equipment lead times on top of the hardware.
If you own GB200 racks and need somewhere to run them, or want to rent yours out, we can help with that too. Mention it in your request.
Questions
How much power does a GB200 NVL72 use?
Can GB200 NVL72 be air-cooled?
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