Johnson Controls expands thermal management offering with scalable liquid cooling solution to meet the increasing demand of high-density data centers

Rhea-AI Summary

Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI) has launched its new Silent-Aire Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) platform, expanding its data center thermal management portfolio. The scalable liquid cooling solution offers cooling capacities from 500kW to over 10MW to meet increasing high-density data center demands.

The CDUs are designed to support various liquid-cooling configurations and hybrid designs, enabling precise cooling for AI and high-performance computing environments. Since 2020, data centers have typically used over 30% of energy for cooling and non-IT functions. Johnson Controls' solutions can reduce non-IT energy consumption by more than 50% in most North American data centers, potentially saving enough energy to power 200,000 households annually in a gigawatt-scale AI factory.

Insights

Data Center Infrastructure Specialist

JCI's new liquid cooling solution addresses critical AI data center thermal challenges, positioning them strategically in high-growth infrastructure segment.

Johnson Controls' launch of their Silent-Aire CDU platform represents a strategic expansion into the rapidly growing liquid cooling market for data centers. This move directly addresses the thermal management challenges created by increasing rack densities driven by AI workloads. The timing is particularly significant as data centers worldwide struggle with the unprecedented heat generated by densely packed AI accelerators and high-performance computing systems.

The platform's scalability from 500kW to over 10MW demonstrates impressive technical range, capable of serving everything from edge computing facilities to hyperscale AI factories. This flexibility in deployment options—whether in-row or perimeter placement—gives data center operators crucial adaptability in their cooling architecture as they transition toward liquid cooling solutions.

The energy efficiency claims are substantial: reducing non-IT energy consumption by more than 50% in most North American data centers. For perspective, this represents enough saved energy to power over 200,000 households annually in a gigawatt-scale AI facility. With data centers typically devoting 30%+ of their energy to cooling, these efficiency gains translate to significant operational cost reductions for customers while addressing growing environmental concerns about data center energy consumption.

Johnson Controls' global manufacturing footprint across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, with 1.8 million square feet of production capacity, positions them to meet the accelerated demand for data center infrastructure. Their service network of 40,000+ technicians provides the critical support infrastructure necessary for mission-critical cooling systems—a key differentiator as reliability remains paramount for data center operators.

This product launch strengthens Johnson Controls' position in the data center infrastructure market at a pivotal moment when AI deployment is driving unprecedented demand for advanced cooling solutions.

New Silent-Aire series of Coolant Distribution Units provides reliable and efficient liquid cooling to high-density racks

MILWAUKEE, Sept. 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Johnson Controls (NYSE: JCI), the global leader in smart, safe, healthy and sustainable buildings, has expanded its data center thermal management offerings with the launch of its Silent-Aire Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) platform. This latest addition to Johnson Controls' end-to-end thermal management portfolio enables data centers to seamlessly transition to liquid cooling as rack densities rise. The Silent-Aire CDUs offer a wide range of scalable cooling capacities from 500kW to over 10MW in flexible designs that are uniquely tailored to suit the needs of any data center deployment.

"The launch of this expanded series of CDU technology marks a pivotal step in our commitment to advance data center cooling, from chip to chiller," said Austin Domenici, vice president and general manager, Data Center Solutions at Johnson Controls. "By collaborating with leading ecosystem players in the hyperscale, colocation and semiconductor industry, we've engineered an innovative and scalable platform that meets the demands of next-generation AI training and inference hardware, delivering consistent performance and reinforcing our role as a strategic partner to data center professionals scaling for the digital economy."

With the rapid growth of AI and increasing demand for computing power, denser chips are generating more heat, making cooling innovation a critical priority. Silent-Aire CDUs allow for precision cooling of this equipment, enabling data center owners and operators to deploy the latest in semiconductor technology. Positioned either in-row adjacent to heat-generating equipment or in the whitespace perimeter, Silent-Aire CDUs are designed for flexibility to support a wide range of liquid-cooling configurations and hybrid designs to deliver precise, efficient cooling of high-performance environments ranging from edge-based inference to large AI factories.

This launch builds on Johnson Controls' broad portfolio of existing Silent-Aire, York and M&M Carnot thermal management products that serve data centers worldwide. By adopting Johnson Controls' comprehensive thermal management solutions, owners and operators can significantly improve total facility efficiency. Since 2020, large data centers have typically devoted more than 30% of their energy to cooling and other non-IT functions. Johnson Controls' solutions can reduce non-IT energy consumption by more than 50% in most North American data center hubs. For a gigawatt-scale AI factory, this reduction translates to enough energy savings to power over 200,000 households annually. 

Johnson Controls manufactures the Silent-Aire CDUs at facilities across North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. With more than 1.8 million square feet of production floorspace, this global footprint helps to increase capacity needed to meet the accelerated pace of data center development. A robust network of over 40,000 field and service technicians backs Johnson Controls' building technology to ensure reliable service, maintenance and parts delivery worldwide.

In 2025, Johnson Controls was named a top thermal management provider for data centers by ABI Research, recognizing its excellence in innovation, implementation and customer-centric approach.

To learn more, visit: https://www.silent-aire.com/cdu/

Media Contact:

Kari Pfisterer
Direct: +1 414-217-1488
Email: kari.b.pfisterer@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 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 www.johnsoncontrols.com for more information and follow @Johnson Controls on social platforms. 

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SOURCE Johnson Controls, Inc.

FAQ

What is Johnson Controls' new Silent-Aire CDU platform's cooling capacity range?

The Silent-Aire CDU platform offers scalable cooling capacities ranging from 500kW to over 10MW in flexible designs tailored for various data center deployments.

How much energy savings can JCI's thermal management solutions provide to data centers?

Johnson Controls' solutions can reduce non-IT energy consumption by more than 50% in most North American data centers, equivalent to powering 200,000 households annually for a gigawatt-scale AI factory.

Where does Johnson Controls manufacture the Silent-Aire CDUs?

Johnson Controls manufactures Silent-Aire CDUs at facilities across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, with over 1.8 million square feet of production floorspace.

What percentage of data center energy is typically used for cooling and non-IT functions?

Since 2020, large data centers have typically devoted more than 30% of their energy to cooling and other non-IT functions.

How does JCI support the maintenance of their data center cooling solutions?

Johnson Controls maintains a robust network of over 40,000 field and service technicians to ensure reliable service, maintenance, and parts delivery worldwide.