Vertiv Expands AI Data Center Cooling Push With New Acquisition

Vertiv Holdings Co (NYSE:VRT) said Thursday it agreed to acquire King Environmental Services Ltd., expanding its fluid management and testing capabilities across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.Following the announcement, Vertiv shares traded lower.The deal strengthens Vertiv’s thermal management services as data centers adopt more liquid cooling to support artificial intelligence and other high-density computing workloads.Vertiv highlighted the strength of the broader data center market in its second-quarter results, reported July 29. The company said demand fundamentals continued to support durable growth.Vertiv also said it was accelerating capacity expansion and strategic investments to meet demand and capture market share.Vertiv Expands Liquid Cooling ServicesIreland-based King Environmental Services, or KES, provides fluid management, commissioning and load-testing services for liquid-cooled data centers and other critical facilities.Its services include system flushing, filtration, water treatment, commissioning and performance validation. KES also provides thermal load testing for liquid cooling systems and electrical load testing for critical power infrastructure.Vertiv said the acquisition will help customers manage systems from initial commissioning through ongoing maintenance and lifecycle optimization.Deal Builds On PurgeRite AcquisitionThe transaction follows Vertiv’s December 2025 acquisition of PurgeRite, which expanded its fluid management capabilities in North America.The KES deal also follows Vertiv’s Sept. 2 agreement to acquire UtilityInnovation Group for about $1.45 billion, expanding its capabilities in microgrids, onsite power and behind-the-meter infrastructure for AI data centers.The company expects KES to provide a similar platform in EMEA while adding specialized load-testing expertise.The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2026. Financial terms were not disclosed. The company said the acquisition is not expected to impact its financial results materially.As of June 30, 2026, Vertiv reported $2.81 billion in cash and cash equivalents.Vertiv Price ActionVRT Price Action: Vertiv Holdings shares were down 1.37% at $245.37 at the time of publication on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.Image via Shutterstock Read Also: Dow Tumbles Over 100 Points; US Jobless Claims Fall to 197,000