Cooling concept delivers PUE below 1.2 in hot climates
17th September 2026
ITALY/SWITZERLAND: Daikin Applied Europe and Swiss data centre contractor CTS Group claim to have developed a cooling concept capable of delivering PUE below 1.2 even in the hottest climates.
Building on a collaboration that began in 2023, the new patented concept combines Daikin’s cooling technologies, controls and application expertise with CTS Group’s modular engineering, system integration and prefabrication capabilities.
The concept comprises an enhanced facility water system combined with maximised free-cooling and a fully optimised system design and dedicated buffer pipe technology. The solution is said to enable rapid response to sudden load variations while maintaining highly stable water temperatures supplied to CDUs managing liquid-cooled AI servers.
The concept’s dynamic response has been validated through full-scale factory testing, confirming its ability to maintain stable water temperatures under representative AI load profiles and during electrical short-break events.
It has been designed to support projected PUE values as low as 1.09 in Nordic climates, while remaining below 1.20 under the assessed Middle Eastern ambient conditions, enabling high-efficiency operation across a broad range of geographical locations.
The projected PUE levels depend on both climatic conditions and the proportion of the IT load served by liquid cooling, as well as the specific system configuration and operating conditions.
CTS Group designs and prefabricates complete, factory-tested cooling skids at its production campuses, incorporating Daikin chillers and CDUs together with other core cooling components.
The partners claim that the concept provides operators with a scalable approach to reducing facility energy overhead and accelerating deployment.
