AI workloads, liquid cooling, and compressed construction schedules are exposing the limits of commercial-grade instrumentation in data center cooling and utility systems. In a recent episode of The Data Center Frontier Show podcast, Steve Grundmeier, Vice President of Data Centers for Emerson’s Measurement Solutions business, explained to Editor-in-Chief Matt Vincent why leading operators are moving to industrial-grade measurement.

Why It Matters

AI workloads are pushing rack densities to 100 kilowatts per rack or more, and the liquid cooling loops that support them add complexity that commercial meters were not built to handle. Any service interruption carries significant financial consequences through service-level agreement penalties. In some AI-focused facilities, cooling accounts for roughly 30 to 40% of total facility energy use, so measurement accuracy directly affects both cost and uptime. With data center electricity consumption projected to more than double by 2030, every percentage point of efficiency improvement matters.

Key Takeaways

• Commercial-grade meters rely on moving parts and low-cost elastomers that wear, risk leaks, and can leach impurities into ultra-pure water loops.
• Critical measurement points include cooling towers, chilled water systems, heat exchangers, cooling distribution networks, coolant distribution units (CDUs), and water quality.
• Factory-configured Rosemount™ magnetic flow meters delivered in two weeks kept one hyperscale construction schedule on track. Supply chain strength, global manufacturing capacity, and local service now weigh as heavily as product technology when selecting a partner.

From Fail-and-Replace to Predictive Maintenance

Steve noted that commercial-grade instruments have long been an economical choice. That calculus changes when operators run facility water loops and technology cooling loops filled with treated water, glycol mixtures, or dielectric fluids around the clock. Industrial-grade flow meters use robust seals and wetted materials that avoid fluid contamination and offer a longer operating life.

The benefits extend across the facility life cycle. During build, instruments that validate faster and are simple to configure speed up startup and commissioning. During operation, device health diagnostics help teams detect issues early, confirm performance without interrupting operations, and generate verification reports. When it is time to scale, a standardized measurement strategy delivers consistent performance across sites. As Steve put it, industrial-grade measurement lets data centers build once and repeat.

Where Measurement Matters Most

In cooling towers and chilled water systems, flow, temperature, pressure, and level measurements verify cooling capacity and energy efficiency. Declining cooling tower performance raises chiller energy use and hurts power usage effectiveness (PUE). Thermal energy metering quantifies heat transfer in chiller plants and heat exchangers, where even a small performance drop can raise cooling costs significantly across a large facility. Flow balancing across the distribution network prevents localized hotspots that threaten IT equipment.

As liquid cooling grows, CDU measurements of flow, temperature, pressure, conductivity, and leak detection confirm processors receive adequate cooling. Water quality monitoring of pH, conductivity, turbidity, corrosion, and dissolved oxygen is often overlooked, yet neglecting it leads to scaling, corrosion, biofouling, and reduced heat transfer. Steve observed that these cooling architectures now resemble industrial process plants more than traditional data centers.

Field Results: Speed Without Added Risk

Steve shared three examples. A system integrator racing to meet a hyperscaler’s accelerated timeline received Rosemount magnetic flow meters for critical cooling water loops in two weeks, and factory configuration reduced installation risk. Another integrator needed redundant pH and conductivity measurements on all cooling loops on a short schedule. Rosemount pH and conductivity sensors provided continuous visibility into coolant chemistry and reduced reliance on manual sampling.

In an existing facility, a 20-inch cooling water line needed thermal energy and flow measurement without interruption. A Flexim™ FLUXUS clamp-on ultrasonic flow meter was installed with no downtime and eliminated the engineering cost of a new bypass and isolation valve.

Choosing a Partner and Preparing for What’s Next

Steve recommends evaluating instrumentation partners on four points:

• Deep expertise in both the technology and data center applications
• A broad portfolio with multiple measurement methods
• Global manufacturing capacity with a supply chain that can scale
• An after-sales network for commissioning and long-term service.

Looking ahead, he expects four trends to shape new facilities: higher rack densities from AI workloads, liquid cooling becoming the standard design, greater emphasis on PUE and water-usage effectiveness, and grid constraints accelerating on-site power generation and microgrids. Together, these trends raise the value of accurate, reliable measurement as data centers evolve into highly automated industrial environments.

Learn More

Listen to the full podcast for more of Steve’s insights, and visit the Measurement Instrumentation for Data Centers section on Emerson.com to see how advanced measurement can help optimize operations, improve energy efficiency, and maximize uptime.