Mainframes and the Race to Cool the World’s Data Trivia

Jul 3, 2025

Sonja Soderlund is an Oregon-based B2B freelance writer. Whether writing about mainframe computers, educational technology, or sustainable retail, she strives to bring clarity to complex issues. Connect with her or LinkedIn.

As the weather heats up in the Northern Hemisphere, most of us are starting to think of ways to cool down. But humans aren’t the only ones that need to avoid over-heating. As demand for digital services surges, data centers are evolving rapidly – in size, complexity, and energy consumption. 

The rise of AI, especially generative AI, is driving massive growth in computing needs and infrastructure. But with more power comes more heat, and managing that heat is becoming one of the industry’s biggest engineering challenges. Traditional cooling methods are being pushed to their limits, while new technologies are emerging to meet the demands of next-generation workloads. 

This quiz explores some of the trends and innovations shaping the future of data center efficiency, sustainability, and thermal management. Take the quiz and then check out Penney Berryman’s article on the subject: The Race to Cool the World’s Data.

1. How much is global demand for data center capacity expected to grow annually through 2030?

 
 
 
 

2. By 2030, what share of total data center demand could be for AI-ready workloads?

 
 
 
 

3. What’s the estimated range of total annual data center power demand by 2030?

 
 
 
 

4. Ten years ago, a 30-MW data center was considered large. What’s the new “normal” today?

 
 
 
 

5. What major physical problem increases as data centers grow in size and power?

 
 
 
 

6. Which of the following is a non-traditional but promising air-based cooling approach?

 
 
 
 

7. What’s one surprising benefit of KyotoCooling compared to traditional CRAH systems?

 
 
 
 

8. Which cooling method submerges entire servers in a special fluid that evaporates and recondenses?

 
 
 
 

9. What cooling approach gets as physically close to the processor core as possible?

 
 
 
 

10. Why isn’t direct-to-die cooling more common today?

 
 
 
 

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