Data Centre Demand: Vertiv Expands Cooling Manufacturing

Vertiv is increasing chiller production and testing capacity at its Tognana campus near Padua, Italy, as demand grows for thermal equipment that can support high-density AI workloads.

The investment will double regional chiller manufacturing capacity by the end of 2026, it says.

A new large-scale testing laboratory is also due to open at the site by early 2027.

Testing thermal systems for AI

The expansion responds to data centre operators looking for thermal equipment capable of handling high-density AI applications.

Vertiv will use its new laboratory to validate large-scale chillers and integrate them with liquid cooling systems.

Engineers will test these combined systems under high-density load conditions and across extreme temperature ranges, allowing customers to check thermal performance against expected site conditions before they commit to complex cooling infrastructure.

Gio Albertazzi, Chief Executive Officer of Vertiv, said the demands placed on thermal systems have changed quickly: "AI is driving thermal demands that didn't exist two years ago, with higher densities, faster deployment demands, and no room to compromise on reliability.

"The expansion at Tognana puts us further ahead with more manufacturing capacity, integrated testing, and advanced thermal management systems built for current and future generations of silicon. This investment reinforces our position at the front of the curve."

A site with history

Vertiv has operated at the Tognana site since the 1960s. The campus houses research and development, product management, manufacturing and a Customer Experience Centre.

Consultants and customers use this facility to carry out witness testing of cooling technologies across the thermal chain under real-world operating conditions.

Tognana forms a core European technology hub for Vertiv, together with the Castel Guelfo facility near Bologna, Italy. Both Italian sites also operate as Vertiv Academy locations, offering training programmes for technicians, partners and industry professionals.

These academies form part of a network of 30 training sites worldwide.

Sam Bainborough, Vice President of the Thermal Business Unit at Vertiv in EMEA, says: "The expertise of our Tognana teams is central to Vertiv's ability to support increasingly complex cooling requirements.

"By expanding manufacturing, integrated testing and our local talent base, we are strengthening the campus's role in serving customers across EMEA and other global markets while creating skilled opportunities in the region."

The expanded Tognana site positions Vertiv to manufacture, test and validate large-scale cooling systems for AI infrastructure at a single location, while also training the technicians needed to deploy and maintain that equipment across EMEA and beyond.