Silicones powering industrial data centres

Smart manufacturing facilities, where sensors, robotics and artificial intelligence work together to optimise production in real time, are rapidly becoming the backbone of the EU’s industry. As digitalisation accelerates, so does the demand for robust, high-performance data infrastructure and materials that can keep up with the innovation push. 

The EU’s Digital Decade 2030 targets, the European Industrial Strategy and the infrastructure demands of the AI Act all point in the same direction: more computing, more connectivity, more data. Industrial data centres are multiplying to meet this need, processing vast quantities of information to keep factories running smoothly. But this digital surge comes with a significant challenge: heat. Managing that heat, with processors routinely exceeding 100°C, and protecting sensitive electronics from rapid temperature swings, mechanical stress, and chemical interactions, is where silicones prove their worth. 

Where silicones deliver 

Production lines and heavy machinery generate extreme thermal conditions. Without effective heat management, processors overheat, components fail, and production stops. The cost of even a few hours of downtime in a modern factory can cost hundreds of thousands of euros. 

Silicone-based thermal interface materials, including pads, gels and greases, efficiently draw heat away from processors, power units and circuit boards, maintaining performance consistently over time. They remain stable across a wide temperature range, ensuring reliable heat dissipation whether a facility is running in a cold Nordic winter or a warm Mediterranean summer. stable across a wide temperature range, ensuring reliable heat dissipation whether a facility is running in a cold Nordic winter or a warm Mediterranean summer. 

Industrial data centres face hazards that a typical office server room never encounters: dust, moisture, vibration, and chemical exposure are daily realities. Standard electronic protection cannot withstand these conditions over the long term, but silicones can. Their outstanding chemical resistance, electrical insulation properties, and inherent flexibility make them ideal for encapsulating and protecting components in demanding industrial settings. Conformal coatings and sealants made from silicone create a durable barrier that shields electronics from environmental stress, reducing costly failures and extending equipment lifespan significantly. 

As AI workloads grow more intensively, traditional air cooling is increasingly insufficient. Immersion and direct liquid cooling systems are gaining ground, and here too, silicones are stepping up. Silicone-based dielectric fluids can be applied directly onto and around live electronics without any risk of short circuits, fire or component damage. They are thermally efficient, chemically inert and safe, precisely the properties that next-generation cooling systems require. 

Enabling Europe’s industrial digital future 

AI and industrial digitalisation are not passing trends. They are expected to become central to Europe’s long-term competitiveness, and the data infrastructure supporting them must be reliable, efficient, and built to last. Silicones contribute directly to this ambition. Longer-lasting components mean fewer replacements, lower resource consumption, and better alignment with circular economy goals, contributing to both industry and sustainability. 

As policymakers shape the regulatory frameworks that will steer Europe’s digital infrastructure, it is vital that silicones are recognised as critical enabling materials.