Vertiv expands Padua campus to boost chiller output

Vertiv is expanding manufacturing and testing capacity at its Tognana campus near Padua, with investment aimed at doubling chiller production in the region by the end of 2026.

The project also includes a new large-scale chiller testing laboratory, expected to be completed in early 2027, and additional hiring across the campus.

The expansion adds capacity at one of Vertiv's main European centres for cooling technology, where the group combines research and development, product management, manufacturing, and customer testing. The Tognana site also enables customers and consultants to take part in witness testing of cooling systems under operating conditions intended to reflect real-world use.

Demand for thermal systems has risen as data centre operators build infrastructure for artificial intelligence workloads, which typically require higher power densities and tighter thermal control than earlier computing deployments. That shift is increasing the need for more chiller output and broader testing of how large-scale cooling systems work with liquid cooling setups.

The new integrated testing laboratory is designed to validate large-scale chillers used alongside liquid cooling systems under high-density load conditions and across extreme temperature ranges. The aim is to help customers assess thermal performance under expected site conditions before deployment.

Cooling demand

The Tognana campus has been part of Vertiv's industrial footprint since the 1960s, building on the legacy of the Liebert and Hiross brands, early names in precision cooling. Today, the site is one of the company's principal European centres for data centre thermal management.

Its role extends beyond manufacturing. The campus brings together product design, testing, and customer engagement as part of a wider network linking development work with commercial deployment.

Tognana works alongside Vertiv's facility in Castel Guelfo near Bologna, one of the company's main European technology hubs. The two sites also form part of Vertiv Academy, the company's training network for technicians, partners, and industry professionals.

Vertiv has 30 training centres and academies worldwide, including 15 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. That gives the Italian sites an additional role as training locations as well as production and engineering centres.

Regional role

The expansion reflects how suppliers to the data centre sector are increasing physical production capacity in response to the build-out of AI infrastructure. Cooling has become a central issue in that market because denser computing systems place greater strain on conventional thermal management designs, driving demand for more integrated equipment and more testing before systems are installed.

For Vertiv, the additional production lines and testing facilities at Tognana are also tied to employment growth. The investment is creating career opportunities across the campus, although the company did not say how many roles would be added.

Gio Albertazzi, Chief Executive Officer of Vertiv, linked the decision directly to changing demand from AI-related computing loads.

"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, Chief Executive Officer of Vertiv.

He added that the site's expansion is intended to increase output and testing as newer computing systems place more pressure on thermal infrastructure.

"The expansion at Tognana puts us further ahead with more manufacturing capacity, integrated testing, and advanced thermal management systems built for current and future generations of silicon. This investment reinforces our position at the front of the curve," Albertazzi said.

Sam Bainborough, Vice President of Thermal Business at Vertiv in EMEA, said the Tognana workforce would remain central to the company's approach as cooling requirements become more complex.

"The expertise of our Tognana teams is central to Vertiv's ability to support increasingly complex cooling requirements," said Sam Bainborough, Vice President of Thermal Business at Vertiv in EMEA.

"By expanding manufacturing, integrated testing, and our local talent base, we are strengthening the campus's role in serving customers across EMEA and other global markets while creating skilled opportunities in the region," Bainborough said.