Castrol fluids have received official NVIDIA validation for use in AI cooling systems.

Two of Castrol’s direct-to-chip cooling fluids, Castrol ON PG25 and Castrol ON PG25T, have been validated to meet NVIDIA requirements for AI factory and data centre infrastructure. This designation places both products within the NVIDIA-Validated AI Factory Infrastructure framework, providing data centre operators, equipment manufacturers, and cooling-system providers with greater assurance when selecting fluids for AI computing environments.

Demand for liquid cooling has surged as artificial intelligence and high-performance computing systems pack more processors into data centres, pushing heat output beyond the capacity of many traditional air-cooling setups. Direct-to-chip systems address this by circulating fluid through cold plates attached to components such as central processing units and graphics processing units. The validation followed a comprehensive technical review assessing corrosion resistance, thermal stability, dilution-water quality, propylene glycol base-fluid purity, and compatibility with wetted materials—including metals, plastics, seals, and other coolant-contact parts.

Beyond product chemistry and materials performance, the assessment extended to Castrol’s business operations and global supply-chain resilience. This broader scrutiny underscores the critical importance of stable sourcing and ongoing support as data centre operators scale liquid cooling deployments across multiple sites and regions.

Castrol ON PG25 belongs to the company’s broader portfolio of direct-to-chip cooling fluids designed for data centres. In a closed-loop configuration, the fluid circulates continuously without atmospheric exposure, which minimises evaporative water loss and improves water usage effectiveness in AI infrastructure. These developments arrive as suppliers across the sector seek methods to manage the intense thermal demands of AI servers, which typically consume more power and generate significantly more heat than conventional enterprise hardware. Operators face mounting pressure to increase compute density while simultaneously controlling electricity consumption, water usage, and equipment reliability.

As these demands intensify, liquid cooling has moved firmly into the mainstream of data centre design. Direct-to-chip approaches are widely regarded as one of the most practical solutions, as they target the hottest components directly rather than relying primarily on room-level air handling. For cooling-fluid providers, validation by major chip and systems ecosystems can heavily influence procurement decisions, particularly among customers requiring verified compatibility with sensitive hardware and extended operating cycles. This verification is especially critical in AI deployments, where server uptime and precise thermal control directly impact performance and operational costs.

“As AI infrastructure scales, the industry needs cooling solutions that are effective, practical to deploy and reliable over the long term,” said Peter Huang, Global President of Thermal Management & Data Centres at Castrol. “The inclusion of Castrol ON PG25 and PG25T within NVIDIA-Validated AI Factory Infrastructure gives customers added confidence in both the fluids’ performance and Castrol’s ability to provide consistent global support across markets. It is an important step towards making liquid cooling a dependable part of AI factory design and operation.”

Castrol distinguishes between the two validated variants, identifying PG25 as OAT and PG25T as IAT. While the announcement did not detail the full commercial distinctions between the formulations, it confirmed both are engineered to handle the scale and operating intensity of modern AI infrastructure. Sung A. Kim, Data Centre Global Technology Manager at Castrol, noted that the products underwent extensive internal evaluation prior to customer release. “We evaluate every thermal management fluid under rigorous test conditions before it reaches the market,” Kim said. “The validation from NVIDIA confirms that PG25 (OAT) and PG25T (IAT) hold up to that standard, even at the scale and intensity of today's AI infrastructure.”

Castrol’s thermal management business develops fluids for data centres and energy storage systems under the Castrol ON brand, serving markets across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, China, Australia, and Southeast Asia. The NVIDIA validation intensifies competition among suppliers vying for a role in the rapid expansion of AI data centres, where thermal management is increasingly recognised as a core infrastructure pillar alongside semiconductors, power distribution, and networking. By evaluating both fluid performance and Castrol’s capacity for global support, the assessment reinforces the growing strategic importance of reliable cooling solutions in next-generation AI facilities.