Data centers are the backbone of our digital age, but increasing compute demands from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and high-density racks make cooling a critical challenge. For example, data centers are forecast to double their annual energy consumption by 2030. ABI Research’s latest study ranks the top data center cooling companies, identifying leaders in delivering the best cooling systems with innovative thermal management solutions. From liquid cooling to digital oversight, these firms have demonstrated superior heat mitigation capabilities for data center operators around the world.
Key Trends Shaping Data Center Cooling
Data center cooling efforts are evolving fast as operators seek efficiency and sustainability. Here are the top trends driving the shift:
- Higher Efficiency and Energy Savings: High-density Information Technology (IT) racks and AI models are energy-guzzling, spurring demand for energy-efficient solutions like liquid cooling. These applications also prompt Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) giants to acquire Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for one-stop offerings.
- Regulatory Push for Operational Efficiency: Over half of data center energy goes to cooling and computing, so regulators push efficient systems to cut consumption and ease grid strain. Moreover, compliance with Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE) metrics drives retrofits. Data center cooling system retrofits involve integrating smart systems with Building Management System (BMS) or Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software for optimization.
- Competitive Edge to Capture Client Base: Data center operators aim to slash cooling costs and emissions, compelling thermal management vendors like Trane to adopt immersion cooling and circular practices like Daikin’s L∞P refrigerant recycling.
- Condition-Based Maintenance, Real-Time and Remote Diagnosis: Digitalized HVAC with real-time diagnostics and predictive maintenance extends cooling system life and uptime. Vertiv, Johnson Controls, and Schneider Electric lead the way for these solutions in the data center realm.
ABI Research scored data center cooling companies on innovation, spanning end-to-end capabilities, reliability, usability, interoperability, technical differentiations, and circularity. Here’s the top-7 list…
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1. Vertiv
ABI Research named Vertiv the top data center cooling company in the competitive assessment. The Ohio-based vendor has a versatile portfolio spanning air and liquid cooling, strengthened by its 2023 CoolTera acquisition for coolant distribution units. The Liebert range offers thermal management with free cooling, while Energy Labs delivers Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI)-certified air-handling systems tailored for low carbon footprints. Additionally, Liebert SiteScan provides digital twin monitoring via Building Management System (BMS) integration. This allows users to construct a virtual replica of a real-world piece of equipment located anywhere, providing centralized management and monitoring of air conditioning, power systems, and Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) units.
In April 2024, Vertiv announced it had partnered with NVIDIA and Intel to launch Vertiv 360AI. This solution is designed to handle high-performance compute, delivering a complete portfolio of power, cooling, monitoring, and service to support anything from edge inferencing to Artificial Intelligence (AI) Data Centers (DCs).
To meet its Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals, Vertiv takes a proactive approach that includes a highly-efficient product system, responsible operations, conflict-free mineral sourcing, and supply chain integrity. Its circular practices include the Vertiv Trade-In Program for legacy UPS systems, returning them to local Vertiv facilities for reuse/refurbishment. It also includes an “in region, for region” strategy to localize and reduce supply chain emissions. Circular principles are also applied during the design stage. Vertiv engineers focus on extending the product life span to ensure that replaceable parts are disposed of. This reduces the frequency of service through remote diagnostic capabilities.
After purchasing Vertiv’s cooling solutions, data center operators can expect a robust onboarding experience. Vertiv’s service and software solutions provide customers with factory-trained and certified professionals to maximize the performance of thermal/cooling management systems.
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2. Johnson Controls
Johnson Controls brings decades of HVAC expertise to data centers with YORK chillers and Silent-Aire hyperscale cooling, offering air and water solutions for diverse climates. The OpenBlue software enhances operational intelligence, though it lacks in-house liquid cooling. In June 2024, Johnson Controls announced a dedicated Global Data Center Solutions organization, catering to industry and customer demand for end-to-end data center solutions and services that are integrated, energy-efficient, and offer a reduced carbon footprint. That way, the company creates comprehensive, flexible, and integrated data center cooling solutions spanning design, installation, commission, maintenance, and monitoring of its solutions for single or multiple sites.
Targeting a 55% emissions reduction by 2030 and a net-zero carbon pledge, Johnson Controls’ sustainability initiatives include reducing product line emissions by 27% ahead of the 2030 goals, thus reducing operational costs by utilizing technology to create technically agile assets. Additionally, Johnson Controls has a dedicated retrofit team to refurbish existing equipment and extend its life span. This focus on flexibility and sustainability makes it a strong contender for the best data center cooling systems.
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3. Schneider Electric
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Schneider Electric offers a range of customizable solutions and services to build new and modular data centers, as well as to upgrade or retrofit systems through EcoStruxure solutions. SE acquired a major stake in Motivair Corporation, a specialist in liquid cooling and thermal management tech for High-Performance Computing (HPC) systems, expanding its data center cooling portfolio. Through EcoStruxure and EcoCare, Schneider Electric provides service, installation, and configuration of its systems and services. Its cooling-agnostic approach caters to varied scales of data centers. Moreover, its global reach enhances supply chain security.
Schneider Electric’s recent announcement of the “Grid to Chip and from Chip to Chiller” initiative caters to power, cooling, rack, and IT management for data centers. The core benefits include flexible configuration, fast delivery, deployment, and remote access. On the software side, the company’s DCIM 3.0 integrates with its EcoStruxure portfolio to monitor, measure, and manage data centers. It covers both IT equipment and supporting infrastructure, such as power and cooling systems. On the partnership front, NTT DATA and Schneider Electric were innovating to deliver an integral modular solution that combines the edge, private 5G, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Through this collaboration, edge connectivity can be enabled anywhere. Another notable partnership is between Schneider Electric and NVIDIA. They are focused on creating a framework and blueprint for AI-driven data center designs, references, and tools to redefine benchmarks for AI deployment and operations. The desired outcome of the partnership will be efficient and scalable infrastructure, optimized performance, and reliable lifecycle operation.
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4. Trane
Trane blends traditional air cooling with immersion cooling via its 2023 Liquid Stack investment Currently, its portfolio has expanded to offer highly efficient HVAC hardware with next-generation controllers and low Global Warming Potential (GWP) refrigerants, heat pumps for district heating applications, energy services, and proactive and predictive maintenance. Trane’s TRACE® software is a series of design and analysis tools that enable engineers to accurately size complex HVAC systems, simulate load, identify energy profiles, and perform economic analysis. Meanwhile, the myCO2e™ tool helps engineers evaluate and justify refrigerant selection for chiller-related products and quantify the carbon impact of the decision. Next, Trane’s myPLV® tool empowers engineers to accurately predict chiller performance. It also compares performance metrics based on installation location, building purpose, and chiller plant design.
Recently, Trane Technologies and Autodesk announced a strategic collaboration aimed at optimizing commercial building design for sustainability. The collaboration will simplify the user experience and enable AI-assisted design exploration. They will achieve this by integrating Trane’s TRACE® software and Autodesk Revit for engineers. In terms of onboarding and customer support, the Trane website provides extensive educational and training resources for engineers and facility managers to design and analyze outcomes quickly.
Finally, Trane is fully committed to making its products more circular. The R’Newal® Service Program renews chiller reliability through planned maintenance, aligning with a 50% Greenhouse Gas (GHG) reduction goal by 2030. In summary, Trane’s robust hardware, predictive software, and circular initiatives make it a leader in delivering one of the best data center cooling systems tailored to modern demands.
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5. Daikin
Daikin specializes in air cooling with Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH) units and chillers, enhanced by Daikin on Site for 24/7 cloud-based monitoring to prevent downtime. In May 2024, Daikin announced construction plans for a new energy-efficient manufacturing facility in Tijuana, Mexico, in partnership with Alliance Air Products. This will support Daikin’s customer expansion and capabilities to support greener data centers across North America and Mexico. Daikin’s market share is comparable to its competitors by leveraging its expertise in commercial HVAC systems.
Daikin’s chillers comply with the latest AHRI standards 550/590 and 551/591(for select chillers). The manufacturing and environment management processes of its chillers are in accordance with the ISO American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the ASHRAE standards. Since 2019, Daikin has launched a circular economy initiative, L∞P by Daikin. The line of products includes Variable Refrigerant Volume (VRV) chillers and heat pumps using reclaimed refrigerant such as R-410A, R-134a, and R-32 refrigerant. Through the initiative, over 400,000 Kilograms (kg) of virgin refrigerant and 3,590 tonnes of carbon emissions can be saved yearly.
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6. Carrier
Carrier offers air and free cooling chillers with low-impact Hydrofluoroolefins (HFO) refrigerants, bolstered by a Strategic Thermal Labs partnership for liquid cooling advancements. Its core values include optimizing occupant experience, safety & security, efficient heating & cooling solutions for building operation, and a digital-forward approach to building management. On the liquid cooling side, Carrier Ventures has partnered with U.S. thermal engineering company Strategic Thermal Labs (STL) to advance its cooling capabilities. The software portfolio includes Integrated DC Management (IDCM) with technology solutions from Automated Logic (WebCTRL building automation system) and Nlyte Asset & Energy Optimizer to provide greater insight and control for complex computing and supporting infrastructure. Carrier’s data center cooling solutions focus on lifecycle management for complete facility optimization through customizable solutions and expertise. The company’s key focus is maximizing uptime, meeting client sustainability goals, increasing workloads, reducing operating costs, and improving data center efficiency.
Carrier’s sustainability initiatives include collaboration with local suppliers to reuse packaging, optimize the production process, recycle, and recover useful materials produced from manufacturing. Its Cooling-as-a-Service offering focuses on refrigerant management, equipment reuse, and responsible takeback programs like Sensitech’s Device Takeback Program. The program allows Daikin to reuse temperature data collection instruments, reclaiming 8.5 million devices since 2021. It is also worth noting that Carrier is the industry’s first to transport container refrigeration PrimeLINE and NaturaLINE units with 93% and 95% recyclability, respectively, as per the UL Environmental Claim Validation Procedure 2789.
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7. Danfoss
Danfoss’ data center cooling solution is end-to-end, focusing on energy efficiency, climate footprint, and uptime. The Danish company accomplishes this through a comprehensive portfolio of power distribution, air and liquid cooling technologies, heat recovery, and fire safety systems designed and deployed by in-house data center experts. Its cooling portfolio covers every aspect of air-cooling solutions, namely chillers, CRAC units, hydronic piping distribution networks, cooling terminals, air-handling units, rooftop units, fans, and pumps with low GWP refrigerants. Danfoss’ liquid cooling solution—direct to chip—was pioneered with IBM a decade ago with the following track record:
- Proven data center PUE reduction
- 25X better heat transfer
- Increased cooling capacity up to 1,000X
- Cost-effectively removing heat emitted by a server processor
The company’s Leanheat software ensures uptime with condition-based monitoring, and heat reuse supports district heating for local neighborhoods. While Danfoss could improve interoperability, end-to-end portfolio focus on energy efficiency makes it a compelling solution for data center cooling. In respect to partnerships, Danfoss, Google, Schneider Electric, and the Danish DC Industry are founders of the Net Zero Innovation Hub in Fredericia, Denmark, aimed at speeding up solutions for the green transition of data centers. Additionally, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) and Danfoss announced a collaboration in June 2024 on a new off-the-shelf product. Reportedly, it is a scalable and modular data center product that hosts a small footprint and high efficiency, which will help data centers transition toward more sustainable operations. And more recently, Siemens Smart Infrastructure acquired Danfoss Fire Safety to boost Siemens’ data center capabilities.
While Danfoss excels in many areas due to its strong partnership network in North America and Europe, ABI Research believes it can move up in the rankings by increasing solution interoperability, publicizing its quantifiable sustainability goals, and leveraging its end-to-end solutions to expand its customer base.
Why These Companies Lead the Way
These firms excel by tackling modern cooling challenges facing data center operators, leveraging the most advanced technologies available today. For a closer look at the top data center cooling companies and how ABI Research drew its conclusions, read the Research Highlight, Selecting the Right Cooling Technology Vendor for Your Data Center. These insights are part of our Smart Buildings Research Service.
