DESIGN & BUILD
Advanced instrumented controls and operational optimisation Controls and optimisation are also gaining importance. Johnson Controls is positioning advanced building controls and thermal management as part of the data centre efficiency equation. Schneider Electric is pairing liquid-cooling hardware with software and services to manage operational complexity. This reflects a broader industry shift towards instrumented cooling environments, where sensor data informs setpoints, flow rates and maintenance planning. The practical result is a design preference for systems that can be commissioned, monitored and expanded without forcing largescale retrofit work.
Addressing water scarcity and geographic constraints Water use is a core design consideration. Johnson Controls’ latest reference guide promotes zero-water cooling options and claims substantial savings through air-cooled designs, illustrating how water stress is now shaping thermal strategy alongside energy cost.
The implication for operators is that the right HVAC approach increasingly depends on geography, utility constraints and customer sustainability targets rather than on a generic best practice.
For many projects, especially those serving AI workloads, the question is now how to integrate liquid and air cooling in one coherent thermal chain.
“WITH HOW INTENSE THESE HEAT LOADS ARE, IF THE COOLING ISN’ T RIGHT, THE DATA CENTRE SIMPLY WON’ T WORK. YOU TURN EVERYTHING ON, AND IF THE POWER AND COOLING AREN’ T THERE, THE SERVERS WON’ T OPERATE”
Richard Whitmore President and CEO of Motivair Schneider Electric
The wider market is validating that direction. Recent industry commentary points to rapid growth in liquid cooling adoption and a shift from niche deployment to mainstream planning across next-generation infrastructure.
That does not remove the importance of airflow management, containment or variable-speed equipment. However, it does mean that HVAC design is now being judged on scalability, serviceability and its ability to support higher thermal loads without undermining uptime or project economics.
90 July 2026