Otech Carrier Targets High-Growth Markets in Heat Pumps and Data Center Solutions

Otech Carrier is recently collaborating with global carriers to supply high-efficiency cooling solutions that meet the stable operation requirements of AI data centers. Provided by Otech Carrier

With the spread of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the strengthening of global carbon regulations, heat pumps and data center cooling solutions are emerging as next-generation core infrastructure. Otech Carrier is actively leading the high-growth market based on high-efficiency and low-carbon technologies, drawing significant attention from the industry.

Recently, the government announced the "Heat Pump Distribution Promotion Plan," which aims to supply 3.5 million heat pumps nationwide by 2035 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5.18 million tons. Through this plan, the government has officially designated heat pumps as a key means of decarbonizing the building sector.

Specifically, the government plans to expand installation support and financial incentives for public welfare facilities such as community centers and care homes, facilities-based farms, and energy-intensive industries, particularly in areas without city gas supply. The government will also establish a legal framework to recognize air-source heat as renewable energy, develop ultra-high temperature and large-capacity heat pump technologies, foster the industrial ecosystem, and support exports.

This policy environment is seen as an indication that heat pumps are being elevated from mere subsidized equipment to a core national energy infrastructure for carbon reduction. It is expected to greatly expand market opportunities for companies with high-efficiency and high-reliability heat pump technologies.

Additionally, as the demand for non-IT power in high-performance data centers increases due to the expansion of AI workloads, cooling efficiency has become a critical factor determining data center competitiveness.

In particular, since 2024, the adoption of liquid cooling has been rapidly expanding, especially in North America and China. By 2028, it is projected that more than 30% of all data center cooling systems will use liquid cooling. This trend is seen as an inevitable shift to ensure the stable operation of high-density AI servers, overcoming the limitations of air cooling methods.

Otech Carrier plans to actively promote eco-friendly energy solutions across agriculture, buildings, and public facilities this year, centering on its proprietary heat pump, the "EHS (Eco Heatpump Solution)," developed last year in-house to prepare for the era of energy transition.

EHS is a high-efficiency heat pump system that integrates heating, cooling, hot water supply, and temperature and humidity control. It achieves more than three times the efficiency (COP) compared to energy consumed, supporting both operational cost savings and carbon emission reduction.

The system stands out for its ability to provide precise growth environment control tailored to crop characteristics in agricultural settings. After being supplied to a European lettuce smart farm in Buan, North Jeolla Province last year, it is scheduled for deployment in various smart farm sites, including strawberry farms, this year.

With government policy support for heat pumps, the Otech Carrier EHS is also set to expand installations in educational and welfare facilities such as universities and nursing homes, as well as agricultural sites. Thus, it is expected to establish itself as a universal energy transition solution that reduces energy costs and enhances daily comfort across diverse infrastructure sectors, including agriculture, public, and welfare domains.

Otech Carrier is also actively expanding its Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC)-based cooling solutions in response to these market changes.

Through technological collaboration with global carriers, the company has established an integrated "Chip to Chiller" cooling solution, centering on the Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU), which directly collects and distributes heat generated from server chips using liquid. This system connects chiller plants to server racks, enabling stable thermal management in high-heat, high-density AI server environments.

Otech Carrier has also secured a diverse liquid cooling technology portfolio, including air-cooled and water-cooled chillers, CRAH, CRAC, Fan Wall Units (FWU), cold plate-type DLC, and rear door heat exchangers (RDH). The company plans to propose optimal cooling methods tailored to the specific environment and stage of each data center.

This year, Otech Carrier aims to leverage the government's large-scale heat pump distribution policy and the eco-friendly transformation of data centers as opportunities to: expand collaboration with global Carrier, strengthen its high-efficiency chiller lineup (300~3000RT) using eco-friendly HFO refrigerant (R-1233zd), and broaden the adoption of its solutions through a specialized network for data centers.

An Otech Carrier official stated, "The government's heat pump distribution policy and the paradigm shift in data center cooling will serve as a turning point that accelerates the energy transition across industries and society as a whole. Otech Carrier will establish itself as a key partner, responsible from design to operation, by providing integrated energy solutions that meet both policy directions and technological competitiveness in the fields of heat pumps and data center cooling."