Johnson Controls Advances High-Density Data Center Cooling

Multistory data centers and AI factories are increasingly constrained by limited roof space, rising rack densities, and the thermal demands of high-performance computing workloads. To support these environments, Johnson Controls has introduced a new air-cooled magnetic-bearing centrifugal chiller designed specifically for high-density vertical data center deployments.

The new system delivers up to 3.5 MW of cooling capacity in a compact footprint, providing up to 20 percent higher capacity density than comparable air-cooled solutions currently available. This enables operators to meet escalating cooling requirements while minimizing rooftop equipment counts in space-restricted sites.

Cooling density for vertical data center designs
As land constraints push data center construction toward vertical architectures, white-space power density can increase by up to tenfold compared with conventional single-story facilities. The new chiller addresses this shift by concentrating high cooling output into a reduced physical envelope, allowing fewer units to serve the same thermal load. According to system design estimates, this density increase can reduce the total number of chillers required on site, simplifying installation and commissioning.

The unit’s dimensions allow transport on a standard 53-foot flatbed trailer, reducing logistical complexity and associated rigging and lifting costs during deployment.




Support for warm-water and high-temperature operation
The chiller uses magnetic-bearing centrifugal compressor technology, enabling operation at elevated chilled-fluid setpoints. This supports warm-water cooling strategies up to 45 °C, which are increasingly adopted for modern AI inference and training hardware. Operation across wider temperature differentials also allows reductions in pump sizing and auxiliary energy consumption, contributing to both capital and operating cost efficiency.

The design builds on an established air-cooled chiller platform recognized for energy efficiency and water-free operation, aligning with sustainability targets in data center infrastructure planning.

Reliability, testing, and lifecycle support
Development and validation were carried out at a dedicated engineering and testing facility, where the system was evaluated under extreme operating conditions representative of real-world data center environments. The chiller is supported by a global service organization, including technical support teams and spare-parts logistics, to ensure long-term operational reliability.

Availability
Shipments of the new high-density air-cooled chiller are scheduled to begin in late 2026, targeting multistory data centers and AI computing facilities requiring high cooling capacity without on-site water consumption.

www.johnsoncontrols.com