[Paper] Revisiting 'Cooler is Better': ITD-Aware Per-CPU Thermal Optimization for Sustainable Data Center Operation

Source: arXiv - 2606.11163v1

Overview

As data center energy demand approaches grid-level constraints, optimizing conventional server infrastructure is essential for sustainable growth. The long-standing assumption that “cooler is better”, i.e., lower CPU temperatures reduce power, does not fully hold for modern low-voltage CPUs, where inverse temperature dependence (ITD) drives higher supply voltages at lower temperatures. This creates a non-monotonic performance-per-watt curve where efficiency peaks at an intermediate thermal point. In this paper, for the first time, we empirically characterize ITD on production Intel Xeon CPUs and demonstrate that efficiency-optimal temperatures are CPU part-specific, and frequently higher than typical data center operating conditions. Measurements from commercial cloud data center platforms (Amazon, Equinix) reveal that approximately half of modern high-power CPUs operate about 10°C below their efficiency-optimal thermal point. By implementing ITD-aware thermal grouping of CPUs and inlet temperature adjustments, data center operators can optimize facility-level cooling and overall sustainability. Our case study shows that this approach can reduce total data center energy by 4-13% without sacrificing performance or reliability.

Key Contributions

This paper presents research in the following areas:

• cs.DC
• cs.AR

Methodology

Please refer to the full paper for detailed methodology.

Practical Implications

This research contributes to the advancement of cs.DC.

Authors

• Jason Crop
• Hayden Moore
• Sudeep Pasricha

Paper Information

• arXiv ID: 2606.11163v1
• Categories: cs.DC, cs.AR
• Published: June 9, 2026
• PDF: Download PDF