Ecolab has completed its US$4.75bn acquisition of CoolIT Systems, strengthening its position in the rapidly growing AI infrastructure market.
The deal expands Ecolab’s capabilities beyond water technologies, enabling it to deliver direct liquid cooling solutions for hyperscale data centres as demand for AI computing continues to accelerate.
Expanding AI Cooling Capabilities
The acquisition closed earlier than expected and combines Ecolab’s expertise in industrial water treatment with CoolIT’s liquid cooling technology.
Key acquisition highlights:
- Transaction value: US$4.75bn
- CoolIT year-to-date sales growth: Over 100%
- Direct entry into the hyperscale data centre cooling market
- Combined solutions spanning semiconductor manufacturing, power generation and AI data centre cooling
The world is asking the right questions about how data centres are built, especially around water and energy. The answer is not to slow innovation. It is to build it better. Christophe Beck, Chairman, President and CEO of Ecolab
Integrated Platform Set for November Launch
The combined company plans to introduce an end-to-end 3D TRASAR cooling platform at the Supercomputing Conference in Chicago in November 2026.
Designed around closed-loop cooling systems, the solution aims to reduce cooling power demand while moving facilities toward a near-zero water footprint, supporting advanced AI architectures including NVIDIA Vera Rubin and Grace Blackwell.
Strengthening Industry Partnerships
Ecolab and CoolIT will continue collaborating with hyperscale operators to accelerate next-generation AI data centre deployments while managing energy and water consumption.
NVIDIA engineers Ali Heydari and Saket Karajgikar highlighted the long-standing collaboration between the companies, citing their work across coolant qualification, infrastructure development and large-scale AI deployments, while praising Ecolab and CoolIT’s technical expertise and innovation.
Financial Outlook
The acquisition significantly alters Ecolab’s Global High-Tech division trajectory:
- In 2021, the unit generated roughly $150m in annual sales
- Following Ovivo and CoolIT, it is approaching $1.5bn in annualised sales for 2026
- Ecolab targets $4bn in annual sales by 2030 with operating income margins of 25%
Growing over 25% annually, this division represents Ecolab’s primary growth driver. The company expects 2026 adjusted diluted EPS between $8.03 and $8.23, reflecting 7% to 9% growth compared to 2025.
Conclusion
By merging CoolIT’s specialised hardware with its industrial water treatment expertise, Ecolab has established an integrated position across the AI infrastructure landscape—addressing both computational scale and environmental constraints.
Professionals at Coolit: Charles Robison | Katarzyna Kazior | Ayan Mitra | Luc Wagemakers | Daniel Hernandez | Jason Waxman | Luca Cutrone | Prashanth Sharma | Jack Pfeiffer | Steven C. | Kyle Wu | Kamal Mostafavi, PhD, P.Eng | Hamid Rafiei | Michael Schibli | Daniel Nuttall | Neil Mulji | David Meffe | Majid TabkhPaz, PhD, P.Eng | S. Brett Durante | Jason Bouthillier | Shawn Paulson | Luca Cutrone | Katie Wu | Nicholas Riel Huber
Professionals at Ecolab: Trish Tierney | Johnnie Ray Tyson | muhamad andhika | Christine S. Yore | Rajeev Dilipkumar | Anthony Lazzarini | Blaine Krause | Bonita Wong, MBA | Chris Roberts | Manish Khandelwal | Murilo Feltrin | Alejandro González d’Hyver | Amit R. Dua | Raj Singh | Julia Hazen | Peter Bruno, MBA
