Vertiv Aims to Boost Chiller Manufacturing in Northern Italy

Digital infrastructure provider Vertiv is expanding chiller manufacturing and integrated testing operations at its Tognana campus near Padua. 

The investment will double regional chiller production capacity by the end of 2026 and deliver a new large-scale testing laboratory by early 2027.

Validating thermal systems for AI

The expansion aims to meet growing data centre requirements for thermal equipment capable of supporting high-density AI applications.

Vertiv will use the new testing laboratory to validate large-scale chillers and their integration with liquid cooling systems. Engineers will test these architectures under high-density load conditions and extreme temperature ranges. This process allows customers to verify thermal performance under expected site conditions before deploying complex cooling infrastructure.

"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," says Gio Albertazzi, CEO of Vertiv. 

"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."

Expanding a historic technology hub

Vertiv has operated at the Tognana site since the 1960s. The location functions as one of the company's primary European centres for data centre thermal management and cooling technology development. 

The campus houses research and development, product management, manufacturing and a Customer Experience Centre. At this facility, consultants and customers participate in witness testing of cooling technologies across the thermal chain under real-world operating conditions.

Together with the Castel Guelfo facility near Bologna, Tognana forms a core European technology hub for Vertiv. Both Italian locations also serve as Vertiv Academy sites that provide training programmes for technicians, partners and industry professionals. These form part of a network of 30 training academies worldwide, half of which are located across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

"The expertise of our Tognana teams is central to Vertiv’s ability to support increasingly complex cooling requirements," says Sam Bainborough, Vice President of the Thermal Business Unit 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."