Vertiv Opens Johor AI Cooling Plant For Data Centres

Vertiv says it has opened its first Southeast Asian manufacturing base in Johor, putting AI data-centre power and cooling equipment closer to customers in a state that is also becoming more selective about new data-centre approvals.

The facility in Senai is already operating in phase one.

Vertiv said the plant has been shipping equipment since the first quarter, and Andrew Whall, its vice president of operations and service operations for Asia, said full technical capacity is expected around the second or early third quarter of 2027.

Vertiv said it is adding local manufacturing as data-centre operators ask for higher-density racks, faster delivery and equipment that can support liquid-cooled AI systems.

Senai Facility Makes Liquid-Cooling And Power Systems

Vertiv said the roughly 236,000 sq ft facility produces CoolChip coolant distribution units for liquid-cooled AI racks.

The company also listed prefabricated power systems and SmartRun systems among the products made at the site.

Vertiv said SmartRun can reduce on-site deployment time by up to 85%.

That figure is a company claim, and the source did not include independent customer validation or project-level benchmark data for the deployment-time reduction.

Vertiv's Asia general manager Paul Churchill said the company coordinates with Nvidia on power and cooling requirements before new chip releases.

He said rack densities are moving from 10kW towards 100kW and beyond, and that higher-voltage 800V DC designs are appearing first in the US before an expected move into Asia.

Johor Data Centre Approvals Face Power And Water Tests

The plant is opening in a tighter Malaysian data-centre market.

A representative from the Malaysian Investment Development Authority said Malaysia has approved 52 data-centre projects, with 17 operational and the rest in construction or approval stages.

Invest Johor said the state is becoming more selective with new data centres.

The agency cited power and water demand, other sectors competing for resources, and pressure for incoming projects to use local suppliers.

Churchill said customers want shorter lead times, and he pointed to freight disruption and cost risk when equipment is shipped from outside the region.

He said Malaysia met Vertiv's criteria for connectivity and local talent, with state-agency support helping the setup.

Vertiv Targets 500 Skilled Jobs At Full Operation

Vertiv did not disclose the investment value for the Johor facility.

Churchill described the plant as the first stage of further Johor activity, and the company is targeting up to 500 skilled jobs when the site is fully operational.

Churchill said between 100 and 150 people are on the factory floor today, and that about 98% are Malaysian.

He said Vertiv had expected to bring in labour from outside the country, but local recruitment filled the early roles.

The disclosed Johor evidence is limited to manufacturing capacity for AI data-centre power and cooling systems, plus local hiring for a supply chain Malaysian officials want to anchor inside the state.

Customer projects using the Johor output remain unnamed.

Customer Demand Claims Still Need Project Evidence

Vertiv is building into a market shaped by both AI infrastructure demand and resource constraints.

Churchill said customer demand remained extremely healthy and described a three-to-five-year investment runway across Asia, while also saying he could not comment on whether AI infrastructure is in a bubble.

Named Johor customers for the plant's output, purchase orders, data-centre projects using the equipment, investment value and audited customer deployment data for the claimed SmartRun time saving remain undisclosed.