AHR Trending Topic
Data Centers
HVACR plays a critical role in maintaining stability and efficiency of Data Center management
Data centers generate significant heat from servers and electronic equipment operating continuously. Precise climate control is essential to ensure reliable performance and prevent equipment failure.
HVACR systems in data centers go beyond traditional cooling—they’re engineered for energy efficiency, sustainability, and resiliency. Technologies such as liquid cooling, air cooling, and advanced monitoring systems help optimize temperature and humidity while reducing power consumption.
As AI continues to expand, the HVACR industry remains at the forefront of environmental control in data centers. Ongoing innovation drives efforts to safeguard uptime, extend equipment lifespan, and meet the growing demand for energy-efficient digital infrastructure.
Highlights from the AHR Education Program that address Data Centers
-
![]()
Advanced Concepts in Designing and Retrofitting Energy Efficient Data Centers
Brandon Gill, Jeff Stein
Presented by ASHRAE
Type: ASHRAE Learning Institute Courses ($) -
![]()
Daikin WME-C Quad: High-Capacity Cooling for Mission Critical Facilities
Everett Hettema, Trevor Ramsey
Presented by Daikin Applied Americas Inc.
Type: New Product Presentation -
![]()
Sustainable Cooling for Mega-Facilities
Steve Kline, Jan Tysebaert
Presented by Cooling Technology Institute (CTI)
Type: Free Industry Seminar -
![]()
Insulating the Cloud: The Blanketed Pipe Insulation Solution for Data Centers
Justin Evans
Presented by Johns Manville
Type: New Product Presentation -
![]()
BAC's COBALT™ Cooling System and Immersion Cooling Tank with CorTex™ Technology
Eric Wong
Presented by BAC (Baltimore Aircoil Company)
Type: New Product Presentation -
![]()
New LEV-AIR Centrifugal Chiller OFC by Copeland with Microchanel Free Cooling
Pedro Machain
Presented by Ecochillers, Inc. / American Chillers
Type: New Product Presentation -
![]()
Data Center Demands: Cooling Solutions, BMS Advancement and the Next Generation of HVAC
Ken Duncan, David Quirk, Davin Sandhu, Ryan Sen, Justin Seter
Presented by AHR Expo
Type: AHR Panel Series -
![]()
BACnet in Mission-Critical Applications
Ken Gilbert
Presented by BACnet International
Type: Free Industry Session
What industry leaders are saying about Data Centers
(Excerpts from the 2026 AHR Expo Trend report)
“Decarbonization and grid integration are accelerating as we look for smarter ways to balance energy demand. Data centers, with their massive heat loads, are becoming prime candidates for water based hydronic cooling solutions, creating opportunities for Thermal Energy Networks and geothermal applications.
One of the most immediate challenges we face is the surge in data center construction to support AI, quantum computing, and other high compute technologies. These facilities require enormous amounts of cooling, and without smart solutions, they risk overwhelming local grids and driving up energy costs.”
— John Mullen, IAPMO
The Water–Energy Connection — and the Data Center Factor
U.S. data centers used an estimated 449 million gallons of water per day in 2021. Source: Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI)
With AI workloads growing, global data center cooling demand could require 4.2–6.6 billion cubic meters of water annually by 2027 — more than half of the UK’s annual freshwater withdrawal. Source: Nature Communications via Wikipedia
Some project requirements now call for both energy savings (kWh) and water savings (gallons) — a shift that was rare even a year ago.
Why this matters:
The water–energy nexus is becoming a competitive factor in system design. Data centers are just one example of energy-intensive facilities where water use is significant. As ESG reporting tightens, solutions that optimize both resources simultaneously will stand out and may soon become a minimum expectation in bids.
— David McMillan, Grundfos
“Data centers are the backbone of the modern digital economy, providing essential data storage, processing and cloud-based services driven by rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI). The rise of AI is reshaping the data center landscape, with graphics processing units (GPUs) powering higher density computing needs and demanding exponential increases in energy and processing capacity. By 2030, the global demand for data centers is expected to grow more than 3x today’s levels with consistent growth across all regions (Source)
We expect specific commercial segments to grow at above-average rates, especially in mission-critical applications like data center cooling and process chillers. Due to the rising demands of AI, the data center market is poised for strong growth over the next several years. The rise of high-density, AI-driven computing workloads is creating new and complex demands for data center cooling and energy management.”
— John Schneider, Copeland
“The innovations most likely to impact the future of HVAC&R include intelligent indoor air quality systems that adapt in real time to occupancy and pollutant levels, AI-driven optimization for predictive system performance, heat recovery from high-intensity facilities like data centers, and integrated solutions that manage both air and water quality. These advances promise to expand the role of HVACR professionals in supporting healthier, more sustainable communities.”
— Bill McQuade, ASHRAE