Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, has been ranked by
technology analyst firm Omdia as the largest global supplier in a data centre cooling market which continues to undergo change and innovation. The
newly released research highlights that established heat rejection technologies such as Direct Expansion (DX), Chilled
Water and Evaporative Cooling continue to dominate while also becoming more sustainable. In addition, new technologies,
such as forms of liquid cooling, are predicted to grow as data centre operators look for ways to further improve
efficiency and deal with increasingly power-intensive compute.
The Omdia paper, Data Centre Thermal Management Report 2020, published in late 2020 and based on 2018 and 2019 data, states that Vertiv has a 23.5% share of the global data centre
cooling market – more than 10% higher than its nearest rival. The market for data centre thermal technology is set to
increase from $3.3bn in 2020 to more than $4.3bn in 2024, according to Omdia. Vertiv also leads the global market for
perimeter thermal technologies with a 37.5% market share which is more than 20% higher than the next largest supplier.
In addition to analysing market position, the report provides insight and intelligence on how data centre cooling
technology is evolving. Established technologies such as chillers and perimeter cooling will remain a large proportion
of the market. According to Omdia, split DX is still the primary form of heat rejection in data centre thermal
management, but chilled water and direct evaporative heat rejection are gaining momentum. In addition, cloud and
colocation service provider momentum has accelerated, driving double-digit growth for air handling units (AHU).
Omdia predicts there will also be strong growth in forms of liquid cooling – immersion and direct-to-chip – that are
expected to double between 2020 and 2024. Several factors are contributing to this shift, including increasing chip and
server power consumption, edge growth, increasing rack densities, as well as energy efficiency and sustainability
requirements.
Lucas Beran, principal analyst for Omdia’s cloud and data centre research practice and the report’s author, said: “The
data centre thermal management market is on the cusp of an inflection point. Currently, existing air-based thermal
products and solutions are driving growth but are limited by their ability to cool 10kW+ rack densities. New
technologies, products, and designs are coming to market to help support these high-density deployments and more
efficient operations leading to changing market dynamic through 2024.”
“The Omdia report reaffirms Vertiv’s strong market position and technology leadership in the data centre cooling market.
In Asia, including Australia and New Zealand, we continue to see strong demand for our cooling solutions from our
customers who are either looking to expand their edge locations or ramp up the roll-out of their colocation or cloud
facilities. We have the most comprehensive portfolio of our data centre cooling solutions in the region and we work
closely with our customers and partners to continue to strengthen our product and solution roadmap to address emerging
customer demands,” said Chee Hoe Ling, vice president for products and solutions and marketing, Vertiv Asia.
In Asia, Vertiv has launched several thermal management solutions, including the Liebert® CRV4, a row-based solution designed to provide maximum cooling in a compact design; the Liebert PEX4 room cooling solution with integrated intelligent controls and the latest technologies for maximum efficiency.
In addition to internal innovations, Vertiv is also working with industry thought leadership groups and recently became
a Platinum Member of the Open Compute Project (OCP). Vertiv’s role will include supporting initiatives on the adoption of liquid cooling through the Advanced Cooling
Solutions (ACS) and Advanced Cooling Facility (ACF) projects. The aim is to bring guidelines and best practices for
direct-to-chip and immersion liquid cooling technologies as well as enable practices for data centre facilities to adopt
liquid cooling.
Vertiv’s own research into thermal technologies also points to future innovation. According to Vertiv’s Data Centre 2025: Closer to the Edge report, the data centre industry has seen a large-scale shift to economisation driven by hyperscale operators and
colocation providers, while simultaneously driving heat removal closer to servers through rear door and liquid cooling
systems designed to support the high-density racks common in high performance computing (HPC) facilities. Of the 800+
data centre professionals that responded to the survey, 42% expect future cooling requirements to be met by mechanical
systems, while 22% say they will be met with liquid cooling and outside air, a result likely driven by the more extreme
rack densities being observed today.
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To learn more about how Vertiv can help data centre owners and operators to scale with confidence, visit www.Vertiv.com/SWC.About Vertiv
Vertiv (NYSE: VRT) brings together hardware, software, analytics and ongoing services to ensure its customers’ vital
applications run continuously, perform optimally and grow with their business needs. As Architects of Continuity™,
Vertiv solves the most important challenges facing today’s data centres, communication networks and commercial and
industrial facilities with a portfolio of power, cooling and IT infrastructure solutions and services that extends from
the cloud to the edge of the network. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, USA, Vertiv employs approximately 20,000 people
and does business in more than 130 countries. For more information, and for the latest news and content from Vertiv,
visit Vertiv.com.