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RACK CONTAINMENT VS. ROOM-LEVEL COOLING

Stop Cooling Air You Don’t Need To.

Room level cooling can't keep up as rack density increases. DDC's rack containment units seal off each rack to provide asset protection and unmatched high-density cooling.

Built for High-Density AI Racks
Fire Suppression Built Into the Rack
NEMA 3R Sealed Rack Containment
Protect GPU Assets at the Rack

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    If you’re evaluating rear door heat exchangers or room-level cooling for AI density, here’s what to weigh.

    Room-level cooling wasn't built for AI density. Rack containment protects assets better and costs less to run.

    THE DATA

    See Rack vs. Room Cooling Compared

    Here is the full fact-based breakdown of differences between cooling the rack and cooling the room.

    Category
    Density Ceiling
    Asset Protection
    Leak or airflow events affect the shared room; protection is room-level, not rack-level
    Footprint
    Retrofit Complexity
    PUE Impact
    Room-Level Cooling (RDHx / CRAH)
    Typically capped by shared room airflow capacity, not the rack itself
    Leak or airflow events affect the shared room; protection is room-level, not rack-level
    Typically a room-level system only
    Often requires raised floor, CRAH units, and dedicated aisle containment
    Retrofitting density upgrades often requires room-wide infrastructure changes
    Cooling capacity is shared across the room, often conditioning more air than the load requires
    Rack Containment (DDC S-Series)
    Up to 1MW+ per rack with air + liquid hybrid integration
    NEMA 3R sealed enclosure isolates each rack from leaks, airflow loss, and contamination
    Built into every containment unit, rack by rack
    Self-contained; no raised floor or dedicated hot/cold aisle required
    Deploys rack by rack; scales from 1 to 1,000+ units without a room redesign
    Neutral-room operation reduces mechanical load by cooling only what's needed

    Density Ceiling

    Up to 1MW+ per rack with air + liquid hybrid integration
    Typically capped by shared room airflow capacity, not the rack itself

    Asset Protection

    NEMA 3R sealed enclosure isolates each rack from leaks, airflow loss, and contamination
    Leak or airflow events affect the shared room; protection is room-level, not rack-level

    Leak or airflow events affect the shared room; protection is room-level, not rack-level

    Built into every containment unit, rack by rack
    Typically a room-level system only

    Footprint

    Self-contained; no raised floor or dedicated hot/cold aisle required
    Often requires raised floor, CRAH units, and dedicated aisle containment

    Retrofit Complexity

    Deploys rack by rack; scales from 1 to 1,000+ units without a room redesign
    Retrofitting density upgrades often requires room-wide infrastructure changes

    PUE Impact

    Neutral-room operation reduces mechanical load by cooling only what's needed
    Cooling capacity is shared across the room, often conditioning more air than the load requires
    Talk to an Engineer

    Compare Rack Containment vs. Open-Room and Rear-Door Cooling for High-Density AI Deployments. Get the Data.

    Send your rack density and current cooling approach. An engineer follows up with a specific recommendation.

    Request a Site Assessment


      Name*


      Work Email*


      Company*


      Phone*