Vertiv and AI: the new liquid cooling portfolio for high-density racks

The growth of artificial intelligence workloads is forcing a transition in the thermal design of data centers. AI workloads — training large models, massive inference — push per-rack density from 10-15 kW into the 50 kW, 80 kW, and — in training clusters — 100+ kW per rack range. In that scenario, air stops being efficient and liquid cooling becomes the only viable alternative.

Vertiv has been one of the brands pushing this transition hardest. Its liquid cooling portfolio — strengthened by the Energy Labs acquisition in 2018 and the strategic purchase of CoolTera in 2023 — today offers one of the most complete lines on the market for high-density deployments.

The Vertiv liquid cooling portfolio

Vertiv’s offering is organized in four complementary technologies:

• Direct-to-chip cold plates (D2C): cold-plate solutions bolted to the processor. Ideal for high-power CPUs and GPUs, supporting up to 70-80 kW per rack.
• Rear-door heat exchangers: rear doors with an integrated liquid circuit that cool the hot air before it leaves the rack. They support 30-50 kW densities without modifying the data center’s air architecture.
• Coolant Distribution Units (CDU) — Vertiv XDU: coolant distribution units that isolate the secondary (rack) circuit from the primary (plant) circuit. The XDU 60 and XDU 120 series handle 60 and 120 kW respectively, with N+1 redundancy.
• Immersion: immersion tanks in dielectric fluid for the highest-density deployments. Vertiv offers single-phase and two-phase systems, focused on hyperscalers and GPU-as-a-service providers.

Integration with the Vertiv ecosystem

Vertiv’s edge over specialized liquid providers is integration. Vertiv XDU CDUs communicate with Liebert UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) units and the iCOM monitoring system, delivering unified telemetry for temperature, pressure, flow, and power consumption. For a data center already operating with the Vertiv ecosystem, that convergence reduces man-hours and simplifies the NOC (Network Operations Center).

Vertiv also offers CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) design and simulation services for liquid cooling projects, which is critical because sizing mistakes in this type of deployment are costly: an undersized CDU means GPU throttling and lost performance on the AI cluster.

What to consider before specifying Vertiv for AI

Liquid cooling is not plug-and-play. Before specifying it, you must validate:

• Workload mix: if the data center is 70% AI + 30% traditional, the CDUs and rear-door must coexist with conventional CRAC/CRAH (Computer Room Air Conditioning / Computer Room Air Handler) units.
• Water quality: the secondary liquid cooling circuit requires demineralized water and anti-corrosion treatment. The site’s chilled water plant must be prepared.
• Electrical capacity: liquid cooling is more efficient than air per kW of IT load, but the CDUs add their own consumption. UPS and the electrical plant must be sized to include it.
• Physical space: rear-doors and CDUs take space in the aisle or in the technical room. A prior layout audit is essential.
• Operations and maintenance: technical staff must be trained in coolant handling, pressure, and water chemistry. It is not the same profile that operates CRAC.

Vertiv’s position in the AI market

Vertiv has publicly reported that liquid cooling represents one of its fastest-growing segments, with double-digit annual growth in 2024 and 2025. The brand competes in this segment with Schneider Electric and specialized manufacturers such as CoolIT (specialized CDUs) and Chinese immersion manufacturers like Submer.

For Mexican data centers that are entering AI with training workloads or massive inference, Vertiv offers an integrated proposal that is hard to match. The final decision depends on the existing ecosystem, the integrator’s profile, and the project’s financing model.

Need help with Vertiv solutions?

At Noxtel we specialize in the design, supply, installation, and preventive maintenance of critical infrastructure for data centers. If you are comparing equipment, need to size a project, or require certified technical support for Vertiv solutions, our engineering team is ready to help.

📞 Contact us today and schedule a consultation with the Noxtel team