AI Data Centers: As artificial intelligence workloads continue driving demand for high-performance computing, data centers are facing a growing challenge beyond processing power—maintaining the health of liquid cooling systems. Startup Omen AI has announced a $31 million Series A funding round to expand its real-time fluid monitoring technology designed to detect contamination before it leads to major operational disruptions.
The investment round was led by Nava Ventures and included participation from CRV, Vanderbilt University, Mann+Hummel, Starhill Holdings, Hard Launch Capital, along with individual investments from executives associated with Bridgestone, GM, Johnson Controls, and TensorWave.
Why liquid cooling has become a challenge for AI data centers
Modern AI servers generate significant amounts of heat, making liquid cooling an increasingly important part of data center infrastructure. Cooling fluids typically combine water with bacteria-inhibiting chemicals to maintain system health.
However, increasing the water content can improve heat absorption while also creating conditions that encourage bacterial growth. According to the company, contamination can clog cooling systems, forcing operators to flush equipment and temporarily shut down GPU racks. Such maintenance can take several hours and potentially result in substantial operational costs.
Omen AI’s solution is designed to continuously analyze cooling fluid, allowing operators to identify bacterial growth and chemical changes before they develop into larger problems.
According to CEO and founder Zach Laberge, real-time chemical monitoring provides visibility that helps reduce the risk of unexpected downtime.
From construction equipment to AI infrastructure
Laberge launched his first startup in 2020 at the age of 14, raising $3 million to install monitoring sensors on construction equipment. After that business ended operations, he founded Omen AI in 2024 with a focus on monitoring industrial fluid systems.
The company’s technology was initially developed to replace manual fluid sampling and laboratory testing with continuous on-site analysis. Besides detecting bacterial contamination, the system can also identify signs of component wear by detecting elements such as copper, chromium and silicon within fluids.
Early customers included Caterpillar dealerships, where the technology was used for heavy equipment monitoring.
A shift toward data center customers
As Caterpillar dealerships increasingly deployed sensors on turbines used to support data center power infrastructure, Omen AI identified a new opportunity.
The company found that data centers rely on multiple fluid-based systems, including HVAC equipment and liquid chip cooling, creating demand for continuous monitoring technology. Over the past several months, Omen AI has increasingly focused its business on serving data center operators.
The company said it is currently working with around a dozen data center customers while expanding its product offering.
One of those customers is TensorWave, which is building an AI compute cloud using AMD processors. Company president Piotr Tomasik said monitoring cooling fluid is an important operational factor for large-scale AI infrastructure and believes improved visibility can help support compute customers more efficiently.
Investors see growing demand
According to Cory Rellas, partner at Nava Ventures and a member of Omen AI’s board, customer feedback from large enterprise organizations helped validate the company’s approach during the investment process.
Since its founding in 2024, Omen AI says it has raised a total of $40 million.
Competition is emerging
While many organizations still rely on sending fluid samples to laboratories for testing, on-site monitoring is becoming a growing area of interest.
Omen AI is not the only company developing this approach. Another water-monitoring company recently introduced its own coolant monitoring product aimed at data center applications, reflecting increasing industry attention on infrastructure monitoring.
Laberge said recent advances in optical hardware and signal processing have made real-time monitoring more practical by reducing hardware costs while improving the ability to interpret complex sensor data.
Read More: Omen AI Raises $31 Million To Help Data Centers Prevent Costly Cooling System
FAQs:
What does Omen AI do?
Omen AI develops sensor technology that continuously monitors industrial fluids and cooling systems to detect contamination and equipment wear in real time.
Why are AI data centers using liquid cooling?
Liquid cooling helps remove the large amounts of heat generated by modern AI GPUs more efficiently than traditional air cooling.
What problem is Omen AI solving?
The company aims to detect bacterial growth and chemical changes in cooling fluids before they cause system blockages and expensive downtime.
How much funding did Omen AI raise?
Omen AI announced a $31 million Series A funding round and says it has raised $40 million in total since its founding.
Who led Omen AI’s funding round?
The Series A investment was led by Nava Ventures.
