What Is Hot Aisle Containment?_
Hot aisle containment is a data center cooling strategy that physically encloses the hot exhaust side of server racks, preventing hot air from mixing with the cold supply air. This improves cooling efficiency by 20–30% and is essential in high-density GPU environments where rack exhaust temperatures can exceed 40°C. Containment systems use physical barriers (doors, roof panels) to seal the hot aisle.
Technical Details
Hot aisle containment works by directing all server exhaust air into an enclosed plenum, which is then returned to CRAH/CRAC units for cooling. Without containment, hot exhaust air mixes with cold supply air, raising the average temperature and forcing cooling systems to work harder. In GPU environments operating at 40–80+ kW per rack (air-cooled H100 configurations), containment is essential to maintain inlet air temperatures within ASHRAE recommended ranges (18–27°C). Containment systems typically include end-of-row doors, chimney caps or ceiling panels, blanking panels for empty U spaces, and brush grommets for cable penetrations. Hot aisle containment is preferred over cold aisle containment in new builds because it simplifies the HVAC return path.
How Leviathan Systems Works with Hot Aisle Containment
Leviathan Systems deploys GPU racks within hot aisle containment environments, ensuring proper blanking panel installation, cable penetration sealing, and airflow management as part of our rack assembly process.