Switched On Beyond the Chip: Rewiring Data Center Supply Chains
Feb 4, 2026
Angela Taylor, LiquidStack strategy lead on liquid cooling; Steven Carlini, Schneider Electric data center and AI energy advocate; Haroon Inam, DG Matrix CEO building multi‑port solid‑state transformers. They discuss rising liquid cooling for dense AI racks, tradeoffs of immersion versus direct‑to‑chip approaches, new power architectures like 800V DC and solid‑state transformers, and the supply‑chain scramble to scale cooling and electrical gear.
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Retrofit Where Possible, Reserve Full Overhauls
- Use less disruptive retrofits like rear-door heat exchangers for older data centers to reach higher densities without full overhaul.
- Reserve full direct-to liquid for greenfield builds where extreme density justifies redesign.
Big Contracts And M&A Signal Scale-Up
- Schneider signed a $1.9 billion contract with Switch for chillers and liquid cooling equipment.
- Large electrical suppliers are acquiring cooling firms to build integrated portfolios.
Superconducting Cuts Campus Power Footprint
- Superconducting and evaporative liquid nitrogen techniques can shrink medium-voltage infrastructure footprint.
- Veir's approach reduces labor, cement and space while enabling higher power density.