When computers heat up, everything slows down. Systems lag, energy bills rise, and even the most powerful machines struggle to handle heavy data or GPU-intensive workloads. As compute density increases, traditional air cooling can no longer keep up, leaving data centers running out of space, consuming more energy, and facing pressure to reduce water usage and carbon footprint.
But when the right cooling solutions are missing, the problems begin to stack up. Performance drops, downtime increases, and companies are forced to spend more on new infrastructure just to maintain their current level. What should be simple becomes expensive and stressful. That is why smarter, cleaner, and more efficient cooling has become one of the most important needs for modern businesses.
Vijay Sampathkumar, Vice President and Country Manager for India and Southeast Asia at ZutaCore, contributes in helping customers adopt reliable cooling solutions that keep their systems fast, stable, and ready for heavier workloads without forcing them to rebuild entire facilities. His work focuses on understanding real customer challenges, guiding them toward efficient cooling strategies, building strong industry relationships, and ensuring ZutaCore’s technology delivers measurable value on the ground. He partners closely with operators, consultants, and engineering teams to resolve issues related to heat, energy waste, and capacity limitations, offering practical solutions that enable data centers to manage modern, high-density environments with confidence.
Under his leadership, ZutaCore has strengthened its presence across India and Southeast Asia, expanded into new markets like Vietnam and the Philippines, and built a growing ecosystem of partners who now view advanced cooling as essential. One of his most notable achievements is being recognised by industry peers as the “Liquid Cooling Man of India,” a sign of the trust he has earned and the impact of his efforts in modernising data-center infrastructure.
Over Two Decades of Experience in the Technology Industry
Vijay Sampathkumar has over two decades of experience in the technology industry, built on hands-on learning and growth. He started in the mid-90s in roles that exposed him to real-world challenges and later worked with global companies like Symantec, Hitachi Vantara, Dell Technologies, and Iron Mountain. At Dell, he learned the value of consistency, collaboration, and strong partner relationships, while at Iron Mountain, he gained experience in integrating acquired companies, streamlining processes, and managing diverse teams.
His entrepreneurial venture, ArBhar Consulting, where he served more than 250 clients, reinforced the importance of staying close to customers, solving problems directly, and building trust. By the time he entered the data center and cooling sector, Vijay Sampathkumar had a clear understanding of evolving workloads and the need for sustainable, high-density computing solutions. Vijay Sampathkumar joined ZutaCore as a natural step, motivated by his belief in the mission rather than relevant cooling experience.
Birth of ZutaCore
ZutaCore was born out of a pressing challenge in modern data centers. As computing power increased, especially with GPUs and advanced workloads, traditional air cooling could no longer keep up. Data centers were running out of space, using more energy, and under pressure to cut water use and reduce their carbon footprint. Small tweaks were no longer enough.
ZutaCore was created by a team that recognized this gap early and chose a different approach. Instead of pushing more air through a data center, they designed a system that removes heat directly at the source, which is the chip. This led to the development of ZutaCore’s two-phase, direct-to-chip cooling technology using a safe dielectric refrigerant.
What stands out about ZutaCore’s solution is the combination of efficiency and practicality:
- It supports extreme densities without requiring major infrastructure changes
- It operates without water, addressing sustainability and environmental concerns
- It is simpler and safer compared to traditional liquid cooling methods
- It allows operators to prepare for AI, HPC, and future-generation workloads with confidence.
Although Vijay Sampathkumar joined ZutaCore, he strongly resonates with the company’s mission and the engineering philosophy behind its cooling technology. It was built to remove one of the biggest bottlenecks in modern computing. Today, as organizations across India and Southeast Asia continue to expand their digital and high-performance initiatives, the need for such a solution is more relevant than ever.
Intelligent Engineering for Data Center Solutions
What sets ZutaCore apart in the cooling industry is its combination of smart engineering, practical design, and operational simplicity, all aimed at solving real challenges in data centers. At the core of its approach is a two-phase, direct-to-chip cooling system that uses a dielectric refrigerant. Unlike water-based solutions, this refrigerant absorbs heat by changing phase, efficiently removing heat directly from the chip while avoiding the risks associated with water.
Key features of ZutaCore’s technology include:
| Cooling Energy Reduction | Direct-to-chip, two-phase cooling lowers energy use compared to traditional air-cooled systems |
| Higher Density Capability | Supports higher rack densities for GPU and AI workloads without major infrastructure upgrades. |
| Zero Water Usage | Waterless cooling reduces environmental impact and supports sustainability goals in India and Southeast Asia. |
| Faster Deployment | Retrofit-friendly design enables quicker implementation, avoiding long facility redesigns. |
| Carbon Impact | Reduced energy and no water use contribute to lower carbon emissions |
| Market Expansion | Expanding presence with growing engagement from operators, consulting firms, integrators, and cloud providers. |
Overall, the technology is built with the operator in mind. It supports organizations that are expanding their digital workloads, modernizing their data centers, and trying to balance performance with sustainability, all without requiring a complete overhaul of their existing facilities.
Client Success Story
A recent client success story highlights ZutaCore’s impact on a data center operator preparing to deploy a new AI and GPU-based computing environment. Their existing cooling infrastructure had reached its limits, and supporting higher densities would have required significant investment in additional power and chilled-water systems. Rather than redesigning the facility, the client evaluated ZutaCore’s direct-to-chip cooling solution.
By adopting this technology, the customer achieved three major improvements:
- Higher Rack Density: They were able to support power levels well beyond the original design, enabling modern GPU clusters without expanding the physical footprint.
- Reduced Cooling Energy Costs: The two-phase cooling system decreased the load on room-level HVAC systems, improving energy efficiency.
- Faster Deployment: The retrofit-friendly architecture allowed the facility to go live sooner, avoiding months of construction and delays.
The most rewarding aspect was the customer’s feedback, noting that ZutaCore helped them unlock capacity they did not know they had and gave them confidence to scale AI initiatives sustainably and predictably. This project demonstrates the real value of ZutaCore’s technology by allowing clients to overcome infrastructure limits and advance their operations with greater flexibility.
Expanding Reach
Expanding in India and Southeast Asia requires strategic collaboration, and ZutaCore places partnership at the center of its growth in the region. These markets are diverse, developing at different rates, and guided by strong ecosystems of consultants, integrators, and data center operators who influence technology adoption.
ZutaCore is focusing on building partnerships in several key areas:
- Deepening engagement with major operators preparing for high-density AI environments and seeking sustainable cooling strategies to scale responsibly.
- Strengthening collaboration with consulting firms, design houses, and engineering partners, who increasingly view advanced cooling as essential for next-generation facility design.
- Working closely with system integrators and solution architects, driving modular data centers, edge deployments, and AI-ready infrastructure across the region.
- Exploring alliances that support sustainability, particularly in energy efficiency, water conservation, and responsible infrastructure growth.
Secure, Globally Compliant Operations
At ZutaCore, trust is the foundation of everything because their technology supports mission-critical environments. Cooling is more than an operational need. It directly affects system reliability, uptime, sustainability, and the long-term health of infrastructure.
ZutaCore approaches this responsibility through four key pillars:
- Strong Compliance and Safety: ZutaCore’s systems follow global safety standards, using dielectric refrigerant, closed-loop design, and minimal moving parts to run high-density workloads safely, while ensuring all deployments meet regional guidelines.
- Reliability by Design: Direct-to-chip, two-phase cooling removes heat at the source, reducing reliance on large mechanical systems and providing stable performance for sensitive AI and GPU clusters.
- Environmental Responsibility: Waterless cooling lowers energy use and carbon impact, helping operators meet sustainability goals, especially in regions with limited energy and water resources.
- Ethical and Transparent Engagement: ZutaCore maintains honest, data-driven communication with operators, partners, and consultants, building trust through transparency, consistency, and long-term support.
Through these pillars, ZutaCore delivers high-performance cooling solutions and contributes to shaping infrastructure that supports sustainable, reliable, and responsible growth in digital services.
Learn, Listen, and Adapt Faster
Vijay Sampathkumar believes that the most defining lesson in his leadership journey is this: a leader does not need to have all the answers, but must be willing to learn, listen, and adapt faster than the situation around them.
This understanding became clear to him during a time when he entered areas he had never worked in before, including new technologies, new customer expectations, and new business models. At first, the unfamiliarity seemed like a disadvantage, but over time, he realised it was actually a strength. It encouraged him to stay curious, stay open, and rely more on the collective intelligence of the team.
That phase taught him three principles that continue to guide his leadership philosophy:
- Humility unlocks collaboration: When a leader shows they are willing to learn, people step forward and contribute more openly.
- Clarity builds confidence: Teams do not need a perfect leader; they need someone who communicates direction with honesty and conviction.
- Consistency matters more than intensity: Showing up every day, staying steady under pressure, and focusing on long-term outcomes builds trust that no title can buy.
These principles have supported him across different industries, roles, and challenges, from enterprise technology and consulting to his work in high-density cooling. Vijay Sampathkumar has learned that when the foundation is based on genuine curiosity, respect for people, and calm decision-making, the rest becomes easier to manage.
This lesson continues to keep him grounded. It reminds him that leadership is not about being the loudest person in the room, but about enabling others to do their best while continuing to learn and grow.
Start By Staying Curious, Grounded, and Committed to Learning
Vijay Sampathkumar advises upcoming professionals and emerging leaders in the data-center and tech-infrastructure industry to start by staying curious, grounded, and committed to learning. He emphasizes that success comes not just from technical skills but from nurturing relationships, building trust, and supporting others without expecting anything in return. Thinking long-term, prioritizing sustainability and energy efficiency, and maintaining consistency and integrity in daily actions are essential for creating meaningful, lasting impact in the industry.
Quick Takes (It will be designed separately)
1. One tool or app you would recommend to professionals in your industry:
LinkedIn — Not just for networking, but for learning, staying connected, and consistently expanding your circle of influence across the industry.
2. One quote that motivates you the most:
Keep trying, keep learning, and keep building relationships — your network moves you further than any one win.
3. One piece of advice you would offer to upcoming entrepreneurs or future business leaders:
Invest in people as much as in ideas — your network becomes your greatest advantage
4. One movie or book you recommend everyone in business or leadership should experience:
- Zero to One— for learning how to think differently and create meaningful innovation.
- And How to Win Friends & Influence People— because relationships, empathy, and human connection ultimately shape every leader’s success
Vijay Sampathkumar’s 5 Impactful Business Mantras
- Stay Curious and Keep Learning: Continuous learning and openness to new challenges drive growth
- Prioritize People: Build trust, nurture relationships, and collaborate without expecting immediate returns.
- Focus on Clarity: Honest communication and clear direction inspire confidence in teams.
- Consistency Over Intensity: Steady effort and disciplined action lead to long-term success.
- Think Long-Term: Make decisions with sustainability, responsibility, and future impact in mind.
