Vertiv is investing in its Tognana campus near Padua, Italy, to expand manufacturing and integrated testing capabilities for data center cooling systems, targeting demand tied to AI and high-density computing. Vertiv expects the work to double chiller production capacity in the region by the end of 2026, and it plans to complete a new large-scale testing laboratory in early 2027.
The planned testing lab is intended to support large-scale chiller testing and to validate chiller integration with liquid cooling systems under high-density load conditions and extreme temperature ranges. Vertiv also ties the expanded test capability to customer validation workflows, saying it’s meant to help customers validate thermal performance under expected site conditions and deploy more complex cooling systems faster.
For data center engineers, the interesting part isn’t just added factory output—it’s the integrated test capacity. As chilled-water plants increasingly have to coexist with liquid cooling loops for high-density racks, integration testing under stressed conditions can reduce commissioning surprises and shorten the path from design assumptions to verified performance.
“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,” said Gio Albertazzi, CEO of Vertiv.
Vertiv describes the Tognana site as a principal center for cooling technology development, combining research and development, product management, manufacturing, testing, and customer engagement. The campus also includes a Customer Experience Center designed for customer and consultant witness testing across multiple cooling technologies.
Vertiv says it will share more information about its power and thermal management portfolio on its website.
Source: Vertiv
