Johnson Controls launches scalable liquid cooling for data centres

Johnson Controls has launched a new scalable liquid cooling platform to address the energy efficiency and operational needs of data centres in Asia Pacific.

The Silent-Aire Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) have been developed in response to the rising investment in data centres in the region, with the Asia Pacific attracting USD $15.5 billion in cross-border data centre investment in 2024. Singapore and Johor are at the forefront of this trend, serving as regional hubs that are experiencing fast-paced growth.

Cooling demands in urban hubs

Singapore presents a unique challenge to data centre operators due to both land scarcity and a tropical climate that leads to high temperatures and humidity levels. These factors drive up demand for effective, efficient cooling of vast data centre infrastructure, especially as AI-driven workloads rise to support digitalisation efforts across the region.

The Silent-Aire CDU platform is designed to be compact and flexible, facilitating rapid deployment, particularly in dense urban environments such as Singapore. The solution delivers scalable cooling, from 500kW to over 10MW, making it suitable for a range of data centre sizes and applications, including those supporting AI and high-density computing needs.

System features and efficiency gains

The CDU system is engineered with built-in redundancy, incorporating up to three heat exchangers and three pumps within a single system. This feature aims to support continuous uptime and increase system reliability, minimising the need for additional installation and making optimal use of limited floor space.

The units can be configured in-row or along the perimeter of the data centre's whitespace. Such flexibility enables operators to support diverse liquid-cooling and hybrid designs, addressing requirements that span from edge-based inference applications to full-scale AI processing facilities, often referred to as AI factories.

To enhance responsiveness, the CDU system's advanced controls allow each unit to function independently or collectively. These controls enable the system to automatically adapt to sudden changes in cooling demand or respond to component failures without manual intervention.

Ali Badreddine, Vice President, Data Centre Solutions and Project Delivery for Asia Pacific at Johnson Controls, said:

"As AI accelerates, denser chips are generating unprecedented heat, making cooling innovation a critical priority. The launch of this expanded series of CDU technology marks a pivotal step in our commitment to advance data centre cooling. 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."

Reducing non-IT energy use

Johnson Controls states that its integrated thermal management portfolio can cut non-IT power use by up to 50%. Traditionally, large data centres can account for more than 30% of overall energy consumption for cooling and related non-IT functions. However, the company's solutions target a significant reduction in this figure, a particularly relevant benefit for warm-climate hubs such as Singapore.

The expanded Silent-Aire offering builds on existing Johnson Controls brands in the thermal management space, such as York and M&M Carnot, which already deliver to data centre clients worldwide.

Lifecycle and service support

Johnson Controls operates with a lifecycle perspective, providing a service offering that spans thermal management and automation, as well as fire and physical security, and includes digitally connected services. These solutions are supported globally by more than 40,000 field and service technicians, ensuring reliable maintenance, rapid parts delivery, and consistent operational support for customers in every major region.

The company manufactures the Silent-Aire CDU units in facilities located across Asia Pacific, North America, and Europe. Its production footprint measures over 1.8 million square feet, designed to accommodate the demands of the rapidly growing data centre industry.

In 2025, Johnson Controls was recognised by ABI Research as a top thermal management provider for data centres. The company was also named to the Fortune Change the World list for its YORK YVAM Air-Cooled Magnetic Bearing chiller, noted for reducing power consumption by 40%, requiring zero on-site water, and operating at low noise levels.