Intel dunks computers in oil in the name of research.

Intel has completed a year long test of its oil cooling technology, where it submerged entire server racks in an oil based coolant in an attempt to save energy usage. The company claims it was a success, with 90 to 95 percent less cooling energy used, and server power reduced by 10 to 20 percent.

The computer components were then tested in Intel’s failure-analysis lab, where no damaging effects were found.

Potentially, the approach may reduce the cost of running data centers, as cooling through the oil immersion system can bring reductions in average and peak power consumption. Those taking their first leap to use this oil immersion approach would be those who want as much power as possible coming out of their computing operations with as little as possible applied toward cooling.