Johnson Controls and Carrier Unveil New Cooling Systems for High-Density Data Centers
February 9, 2026
As artificial intelligence and high-performance computing workloads push data center power densities to unprecedented levels, the industry's focus has intensified on developing more efficient and powerful cooling solutions. This week, two major infrastructure providers, Johnson Controls and Carrier Global, announced new product launches aimed at addressing these escalating thermal management challenges. Johnson Controls this month introduced its York YDAM air-cooled magnetic bearing centrifugal chiller, a unit designed to deliver 3.5 megawatts of cooling capacity. The company emphasized that the chiller's magnetic bearing compressor technology enables support for warm-water cooling systems operating at temperatures as high as 45°C (113°F). Austin Domenici, vice president and general manager of Johnson Controls' global data center solutions, highlighted the product's strategic importance: "AI and high-performance computing are pushing data centers beyond traditional limits. Vertical sites can unlock new growth opportunities, but they demand thermal management solutions that deliver maximum cooling outputs in minimum space." He noted that the YDAM's high capacity and reduced footprint could allow operators to reduce the number of required chillers on-site by up to half, accelerating deployment timelines. Shipments for the YDAM are scheduled to begin in late 2026. Concurrently, Johnson Controls is previewing its YORK YK-HT two-stage economized centrifugal chiller, a system that, when paired with dry coolers, can eliminate water consumption from the cooling loop while simultaneously producing 44°F chilled water and 140°F hot water. In a parallel development, Carrier Global expanded its QuantumLeap portfolio with the launch of the Carrier AiroVision 39CV Computer Room Air Handler (CRAH). Developed and manufactured in Europe, the unit is available in four sizes offering a cooling capacity range from 20 to 250 kilowatts and is engineered to support elevated chilled water temperatures for higher rack densities. Michel Grabon, EMEA marketing and market verticals director at Carrier, stated, "The 39CV is a strategic addition... designed to help data center operators address today’s most pressing challenges: increasing thermal loads from higher computing densities, the need to reduce energy consumption to meet sustainability targets and the pressure to deploy solutions quickly and efficiently." These launches signal a concerted industry move towards cooling architectures that support higher operating temperatures, which are critical for improving energy efficiency and water usage effectiveness (WUE). The ability to handle greater heat loads within a compact footprint is becoming a key differentiator as data center operators contend with space constraints, skilled labor shortages, and aggressive sustainability goals.
Source: datacenterdynamics
