Johnson Controls announces investment in data center liquid cooling company Accelsius

Rhea-AI Summary

Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI) announced on October 6, 2025 a multi‑million dollar strategic investment in Accelsius, a provider of two‑phase, direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling for data centers.

The release highlights Accelsius' claim of 35% OpEx savings versus single‑phase D2C and 8–17% total cost of ownership savings. Johnson Controls emphasized its data‑center portfolio including the YORK YVAM chiller (claimed 40% less annual power) and a Silent‑Aire Coolant Distribution Unit platform scaling from 500 kW to over 10 MW. The announcement frames the deal as targeting energy‑ and water‑efficient cooling amid rising AI workload density and notes cooling can represent 30–40% of a data center's energy.

Positive

• Strategic investment in Accelsius to expand liquid cooling capabilities
• 35% OpEx savings claimed for Accelsius two‑phase D2C vs single‑phase
• 8–17% TCO savings claimed for Accelsius solutions
• YORK YVAM chiller claimed to use 40% less power annually
• CDU platform scalable from 500 kW to over 10 MW
• Cooling addresses 30–40% of data center energy use

Negative

• None.

Insights

Technology & Corporate Strategy Analyst

Johnson Controls' multi-million dollar investment in Accelsius accelerates liquid cooling adoption for power-dense data centers.

Johnson Controls takes an ownership stake in Accelsius, a provider of two-phase, direct-to-chip cooling that the release quantifies as enabling 35% OpEx savings versus single-phase D2C and 8–17% total cost of ownership savings. The announcement frames cooling as a major data-center cost, citing cooling share of total energy at 30% to 40%, and notes existing Johnson Controls products that aim to cut energy and water use.

The business mechanism is direct: the investment gives Johnson Controls exposure to a specialized cooling technology that addresses higher-density AI/HPC workloads using phase-change heat removal. Key dependencies include successful technical integration, commercial validation at scale, and customer uptake of two-phase D2C in relevant data-center footprints. The statements provide concrete efficiency metrics but do not disclose investment size, ownership stake, or commercialization milestones.

Watch for three concrete items over the next 6–24 months: announced pilot deployments or customer references, technical performance data from real-world sites validating the 35% OpEx and 8–17% TCO figures, and any disclosed financial terms or strategic partnership rollouts. These items will determine whether the investment meaningfully shifts cooling economics in high-density data centers.

CORK, Ireland, Oct. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls, the leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, today announced a multi-million dollar strategic investment in Accelsius, a leader in two-phase, direct-to-chip liquid cooling technology for data centers. Two-phase solutions use 'phase change' from liquid to vapor to remove heat, enabling more efficient heat extraction with reduced energy consumption.

Cooling is among the most critical equipment in a data center, efficiently and reliably keeping the chips at the right temperature that are foundational to the digital economy and our everyday lives. However, with cooling systems accounting for 30% to 40% of a data center's total energy, deploying energy- and water-efficient cooling solutions is one of the industry's most pressing challenges.

"With the sharp growth in AI, cooling innovation has become a front-line imperative to meet the increasing demands of high-density data centers," said Austin Domenici, vice president and general manager, Johnson Controls Global Data Center Solutions. "Leveraging our leading capabilities, our mission is to drive the industry forward to unlock new levels of energy efficiency across the cooling chain."  

"With power-dense AI workloads, data centers are moving to liquid cooling," said Josh Claman, CEO of Accelsius. "Our two-phase, direct-to-chip (D2C) cooling solutions use non-conductive fluids in highly efficient loops to stay ahead of the demanding power-dense AI and HPC workloads. This technology enables 35% OpEx savings over single-phase direct-to-chip and 8–17% total cost of ownership savings."

Johnson Controls has already pioneered a number of breakthrough innovations for data centers including its YORK® YVAM magnetic bearing chiller – a solution that consumes 40% less power annually as other available solutions with zero on-site water consumption, demonstrating how advanced technology can deliver sustainability and meaningful societal benefits. The technology was recently named to Fortune's "Change the World" list, and recognized as a data center leader, top innovator and top leader by ABI Research. In addition, the company recently launched its Silent-Aire Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) platform offering a wide range of scalable cooling capacities from 500kW to over 10MW in flexible designs that can meet the needs of any data center. By adopting Johnson Controls' comprehensive thermal management solutions, owners and operators can significantly improve total facility efficiency, reducing non-IT energy consumption by more than 50% in most North American data center hubs. 

INVESTOR CONTACT:	MEDIA CONTACT:
Jim Lucas	Louise Colledge
Direct: +1 414.340.1752	+4179 414 4996
Email: jim.lucas@jci.com	Email: louise.colledge@jci.com

About Johnson Controls:

At Johnson Controls (NYSE:JCI), we transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play. As the global leader in smart, healthy and sustainable buildings, our mission is to reimagine the performance of buildings to serve people, places and the planet.

Building on a proud history of nearly 140 years of innovation, we deliver the blueprint of the future for industries such as healthcare, schools, data centers, airports, stadiums, manufacturing and beyond through OpenBlue, our comprehensive digital offering.

Today, Johnson Controls offers the world`s largest portfolio of building technology and software as well as service solutions from some of the most trusted names in the industry.

Visit johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnsoncontrols on social platforms.

About Accelsius

Founded by Innventure, Inc. (NASDAQ:INV), Accelsius empowers data center and edge operators to achieve their business, financial and sustainability goals through advanced cooling solutions. The proprietary NeuCool platform provides best-in-class thermal efficiencies through a safe, two-phase liquid cooling system that scales from single racks to entire data centers. For more information, visit accelsius.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

 

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SOURCE Johnson Controls International plc

FAQ

What did Johnson Controls announce about Accelsius on October 6, 2025 (JCI)?

Johnson Controls announced a multi‑million dollar strategic investment in Accelsius to advance two‑phase, direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling.

How much OpEx savings does Accelsius claim for its two‑phase cooling versus single‑phase (JCI/Accelsius)?

Accelsius claims about 35% OpEx savings compared with single‑phase direct‑to‑chip cooling.

What total cost of ownership improvement does Accelsius report for its cooling technology (JCI/Accelsius)?

Accelsius states a 8–17% total cost of ownership savings.

What energy performance claims did Johnson Controls cite for its YORK YVAM chiller (JCI)?

Johnson Controls cited the YORK YVAM chiller as consuming 40% less power annually than other available solutions.

What cooling capacity range does Johnson Controls' Silent‑Aire CDU platform offer (JCI)?

The Silent‑Aire CDU platform offers scalable cooling capacities from 500 kW to over 10 MW.

Why is Johnson Controls investing in liquid cooling for data centers (JCI)?

The company said rising AI and high‑density workloads increase cooling demands and that liquid cooling can improve energy and water efficiency.