As demand for data centres surges with the rise of AI deployments, so too do the environmental and critical operational standards they must meet.
GPU Deployments now require ISO Class 8 cleanroom conditions to maintain reliability and chip performance, signalling a major shift toward advanced contamination control in the daily operations of such sensitive and expensive hardware.
According to a recent article on “Why NVIDIA GPU AI data centres require ISO 14644-1 Class 8 cleanliness (IT Cleaning),” GPU clusters face elevated risks from dust and particulate contamination, with consequences including degraded cooling performance, reduced fan and hardware lifespan, compromised PCB and chip reliability, disrupted airflow, increased energy costs, and even voided warranties.
ISO Class 8 defines maximum allowable concentrations of airborne particles (e.g. particles ≥ 0.5 µm) per cubic metre, levels far lower than typical uncontrolled indoor air. It has a maximum limit of 3,520,000 particles (shown in figure 1) that are 0.5 microns or larger per cubic metre of air.
Operating a data hall or server room at this standard helps ensure that GPUs, servers, networking equipment and other sensitive electronics are protected from dust-related issues such as clogged air-paths, overheating, electrostatic discharge (ESD) risk or corrosion.
In short: for modern AI-grade GPU installations, cleanliness is not just a “nice to have”; it is now a standardised requirement, and the solutions needed for preventative control are starting to mirror cleanroom-style designs.
The Invisible Threat: Airborne & Floor-Level Contamination
When people think about clean environments, they often focus on air filtration, HVAC/HEPA systems, and controlled airflow. But dust and particulate contamination don’t only float freely and randomly (explained by Brownian Motion, shown in figure 2), they settle. And once on the floor, under-floor, racks, or cable trays, they can be easily disturbed again by movement (e.g. trolley wheels, people walking, installation of new hardware), re-entering the air and migrating onto sensitive equipment. This is a common challenge in data-centre environments.
Even with good air filtration/hybrid cooling practices, without regular deep cleaning and other contamination control strategies implemented around this, particulate matter can accumulate and end up re-suspended, undermining the benefits of ISO-class air quality alone.
Where Dycem Floor-Level Contamination Control Comes In
At Dycem, we understand that contamination control must extend beyond just “clean air.” Every surface in a data centre, including its largest, the floor, plays a role in maintaining a stable, clean, and safe environment for expensive, sensitive hardware like GPUs.
Here’s how Dycem floor-level solutions support ISO Class 8 environments:
- Capture and contain particulates at entry & transition points. When new hardware, carts, racks or personnel enter the data hall, dust from shoes, wheels or packaging is a key contamination vector. Dycem mats placed in corridors, or upon entry effectively capture and retain contaminants from shoes and wheels before they reach the core data hall (by up to 99.9%).
- Prevents settled particulate from being re-suspended. Dycem mats have been shown to reduce airborne particulate by up to 75%. By controlling particulate ingress and trapping particulate on the floor, there’s less risk of dust being stirred up later, which helps keep airborne particulate concentrations within ISO limits.
- Support compliance, longevity and reliability. For GPU-dense environments (which are sensitive to dust, airflow disruption, ESD, thermal stress, and maintenance costs), combining ISO-standard cleanliness with robust floor control helps protect performance, reliability and long-term ROI.
In environments where warranty and compliance depend on ISO Class 8, floor-level contamination control isn’t optional, it’s part of the infrastructure hygiene ecosystem.
Clean Air and Clean Floors — Essential for Modern GPU Infrastructure
As AI and high-performance computing continue to demand ever-cleaner, dust-free environments, ISO Class 8 cleanliness is fast becoming a baseline requirement, not just during manufacturing, but during the operational life of GPU server farms. Dust, even invisible, sub-micron particles, is not benign: it’s a hidden hazard that undermines cooling, shortens hardware lifespan, and increases maintenance and energy costs.
That’s why at Dycem, we champion a comprehensive view of contamination control, one that recognises that every surface matters: not only the air, but the floor, the racks, the under-floor, the cable trays, the pathways, every step, every cart, every footprint. Because when it comes to protecting high-value GPU infrastructure, there’s no such thing as “too clean.”
🗓️ If you’d like to learn more, please join our free event in January “Safety, Security & Contamination Control in the AI Age”.