The upcoming NVIDIA platform for “AI factories,” Vera Rubin NVL144, will come with a noticeably higher thermal bill: the rack liquid cooling kit will be around €48,200, translating the estimate of $55,710 into euros and reflecting a +17% increase over the NVL72 generation. The jump is due to more powerful GPUs and CPUs in the new architecture.
Using a reference exchange rate from the ECB (EUR 1 = USD 1.1571; USD 1 ≈ €0.864), the estimated cost for NVL144 is approximately €48,200, while that for NVL72 is about €41,200 (based on applying a -17% reduction from the dollar figure and converting to euros).
What’s behind the increased costs?
The thermal density increase per tray — with hotter accelerators and CPUs — necessitates the use of cold plates and more capable hydraulic circuits. Market projections cite a cost rise per compute tray, and although the cooling for switching trays drops slightly, it doesn’t offset the overall increase per rack.
A typical breakdown in recent reports estimates the liquid cooling for NVL72 at around $49,860 per rack (≈€43,100 at the current exchange rate), and anticipates $55,710 (≈€48,200) for NVL144, with the greatest pressure on the compute trays.
Context: AI pushes towards liquid cooling as standard
The shift to direct-to-chip liquid cooling accelerates with each generation of AI clusters. Manufacturers now expect that the increasing densities in the coming years will make air cooling insufficient as the primary cooling method during high-performance training. Industry coverage after GTC 2025 highlighted that the move to liquid will become increasingly evident in reference designs.
Implications for operators and colocation
New AI campuses will see thermal CAPEX per rack rise, requiring coordinated planning of power, water, and waste heat (including cooling towers, heat exchangers, thermal storage, and, when feasible, heat reuse). Additionally, the higher specific heat influences the location (available electrical capacity) and the time-to-power for projects. Concurrently, the financial industry anticipates that the rising rack density will transform data centers into industrial-scale facilities in terms of power and cooling needs.
Key figures (in euros)
- NVL144 (Vera Rubin): ≈€48,200 per rack (liquid kit).
- NVL72 (previous generation): ≈€41,200 per rack (equivalent to -17%).
- Reason for the increase: more powerful accelerators and CPUs, higher thermal density per tray.
Methodological note: The euro amounts are derived by converting dollar figures cited by market sources using the latest available ECB exchange rate (November 10, 2025). The actual range may vary depending on final contracts and BOM details.
Sources: DIGITIMES Asia (estimate of $55,710 and +17% vs. NVL72), Tom’s Hardware (breakdown NVL72/NVL144), and ECB (exchange rate).