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arXiv · 2606.11163

Revisiting "Cooler is Better": ITD-Aware Per-CPU Thermal Optimization for Sustainable Data Center Operation

Jason Crop·Hayden Moore·Sudeep Pasricha
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Abstract

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{\deg}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.

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Jason Crop, Hayden Moore, Sudeep Pasricha. 2026-06-09. Revisiting "Cooler is Better": ITD-Aware Per-CPU Thermal Optimization for Sustainable Data Center Operation. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.11163

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