Hi-Ref: Italian Engineering in Chillers and Heat Pumps for Data Centers

July 23, 2026 5 min read By Noxtel

Hi-Ref is one of the Italian brands with the longest tradition in chillers and heat pumps for industrial processes and data centers. Founded in 2001 in Padua (Viale Spagna 31/33), the company has built its reputation on precision mechanical engineering and a strong focus on free cooling, making it especially competitive in temperate climates such as that of much of Mexico.

This guide summarizes the Hi-Ref portfolio for critical infrastructure and the selection criteria according to the type of project.

Compressor chillers and free cooling

Hi-Ref’s main line for data centers is organized into three chiller families:

TCE (compressor chiller with integrated free cooling): combines a compressor chiller with a mechanical free cooling module. When the outdoor temperature is low, the compressor shuts off and the heat is dissipated directly to the environment. It is the most efficient option in temperate climates.
TBA (air-water compressor chiller): a more conventional design, without integrated free cooling. For projects where free cooling is handled separately or where the climate does not favor it.
TCH (high-efficiency chiller): an optimized version for data centers, with high-efficiency inverter compressors and advanced control logic. EER greater than 4.0 under nominal conditions.

All three families share the Hi-Ref control platform, which enables integration with BMS and DCIM via Modbus or BACnet.

HPW heat pumps

Hi-Ref’s HPW line harnesses the residual heat from the data center for water or air heating in adjacent facilities. This technology is key to energy efficiency projects and circular economy models, where the data center’s heat is reused instead of wasted.

Typical HPW applications:

Sanitary water heating for adjacent office buildings.
Heating for nearby hospitals, hotels, or shopping centers.
Industrial processes requiring hot water (food, pharmaceutical, manufacturing).
District heating for mixed real estate developments.

The efficiency of an HPW heat pump can reach a COP of 4-5, meaning that for every electrical kW consumed, it delivers 4-5 thermal kW. This turns the data center into a net source of useful energy.

Condensing units and dry coolers

Hi-Ref also manufactures condensing units and dry coolers that complement DX or chilled water systems in data centers:

Condensing units: for direct expansion systems in temperate climates.
Dry coolers: for heat dissipation in chilled water systems with indirect free cooling.
Adiabatic air-cooled condensers: for dry climates such as northern Mexico, where water spraying improves dry cooler efficiency.

When to specify Hi-Ref

Hi-Ref is a solid option when the project meets any of these criteria:

Temperate climate with viable free cooling: central and northern Mexico, where free cooling can operate more than 6 months per year. Under these conditions, Hi-Ref’s TCE chillers offer the best efficiency-to-investment ratio.
Viable heat reuse model: when there is an adjacent application that can take advantage of waste heat from the data center (building, hospital, industrial process). HPW heat pumps are a key tool for these projects.
Long-term efficiency prioritization: Hi-Ref is not the cheapest option at installation, but its operating efficiency translates into a favorable TCO at 10+ years.
Integration with a European or Italian project: when the client already operates with Italian brands and seeks operational consistency.
Integrator with European experience: Hi-Ref operates through local partners, and project quality depends on the integrator’s capability.

When NOT to specify Hi-Ref

There are scenarios where Hi-Ref is not the best option:

Sites with tight delivery timelines: Hi-Ref manufactures in Italy, and lead times for Latin America are 8-14 weeks for standard equipment.
High-density immersion liquid cooling (over 80-100 kW per rack): Hi-Ref does not manufacture immersion systems or specific CDUs for direct-to-chip liquid cooling in extreme AI clusters. For that niche, specialized brands such as Submer, Asetek, or Vertiv (in its CDU XDU line) are the references. Hi-Ref covers the 5-50 kW per rack range perfectly with its NRC/NRD in-row line and its JREF/SREF perimeter air units.
Operation by technical staff without experience in European chillers: the mechanical complexity of Hi-Ref chillers requires specifically trained personnel.
Projects with highly sensitive initial budgets: alternatives with regional manufacturing can be more economical at installation.

Operating model: site integration

Hi-Ref is a total specialist in IT Cooling: it covers the complete cooling chain of a data center, from the outdoor chiller to the terminal equipment inside the contained aisle. The only things it does NOT manufacture are components of the electrical and IT ecosystem: UPS, PDU, and racks. For those components, other brands are used.

The typical operating model is:

Hi-Ref chiller (TCE, TBA, or TCH) generates chilled water at 12-18°C.
The water is distributed to the Hi-Ref precision air conditioning units (JREF/SREF perimeter or NRC/NRD in-row) in the contained room or aisle.
The precision air conditioning units can be Hi-Ref (JREF/SREF, NRC/NRD) or from any other brand (Stulz, Vertiv, Schneider) if the project prefers to mix suppliers or leverage an existing installed base.
The integration of the chiller with the CRAC units is done via BMS or directly by the chiller controller.

This flexibility allows Hi-Ref to integrate into projects where the precision air conditioning is already defined by another brand, without portfolio conflicts.