Vertiv acquires Strategic Thermal Labs to expand liquid cooling portfolio

Power technology firm Vertiv has acquired cold-plate design specialist Strategic Thermal Labs (STL) to strengthen its liquid cooling offering. The acquisition extends Vertiv's thermal-chain strategy by strengthening engineering capability at the interface between server-side liquid cooling and supporting infrastructure, an increasingly critical factor in high-density, liquid-cooled environments supporting AI and high-performance computing workloads. Based in Georgetown, Texas, STL will bring proven cold-plate design, server-side liquid cooling, and high-density thermal validation expertise to the Vertiv portfolio. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Scott Armul, chief product and technology officer at Vertiv, said: "As AI and high-performance computing push power densities to unprecedented levels, understanding and solving heat challenges at the chip level becomes critical to system design, performance, and reliability. STL brings deep expertise and proven capability in addressing some of the industry's most demanding chip-level density and thermal problems." STL operates from a 60,000 sq ft office and manufacturing facility in Georgetown. The company was founded by CEO Austin Shelnutt to meet the cooling needs of the electronics industry, and has been focused on liquid cooling in recent years, particularly since taking investment from Carrier Ventures in April 2024.