- Vertiv paid $1 billion to acquire PurgeRite, whose fluid-management expertise will be integrated into Vertiv’s thermal solutions portfolio.
- The deal strengthens Vertiv’s credentials for servicing AI and high-performance computing facilities that rely on liquid cooling — a space seeing strong growth as compute demands soar.
What happened: Vertiv completes $1.0b acquisition of Purgerite to boost liquid-cooling thermal management
On 4 December 2025, Vertiv announced it had completed the acquisition of PurgeRite Intermediate LLC, paying approximately US$1.0 billion in upfront cash consideration, with a possible additional payment of up to US$250 million based on PurgeRite’s performance in 2026.
PurgeRite, headquartered in Houston, Texas, specialises in mechanical flushing, purging, and filtration services for data-centre liquid-cooling systems — services that ensure coolant loops are ultra-clean, air-free, and chemically stable throughout a system’s lifecycle.
With this deal, PurgeRite’s fluid-management business will join Vertiv’s existing portfolio, enabling the combined company to offer end-to-end thermal-management services — from facility-level design and installation to ongoing maintenance — covering the full “thermal chain” from chillers to coolant-distribution units (CDUs), racks and rows.
Vertiv’s CEO, Gio Albertazzi, said the acquisition “deepens” the company’s fluid-management capabilities, enhancing its ability to support customers deploying high-density computing and AI workloads where efficient cooling is critical.
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Why it’s important
The acquisition underscores a broader industry trend: as AI and high-performance computing (HPC) workloads grow in scale and complexity, traditional air-cooling approaches are increasingly insufficient. Liquid cooling — offering far greater thermal efficiency — is rapidly becoming the standard for new, high-density data centres. By acquiring PurgeRite, Vertiv is positioning itself to become a one-stop provider for liquid-cooling infrastructure and maintenance.
This vertical integration brings potential advantages. With in-house fluid-management expertise, Vertiv can ensure coolant systems are correctly commissioned and maintained, reducing downtime risks, improving heat-transfer and equipment efficiency, and offering consistent service quality globally — a critical value proposition for hyperscalers and large colo providers.
Financially, the acquisition — at roughly 10× expected 2026 EBITDA (with synergies) — is expected to be margin-accretive for Vertiv’s services business.
But the move also raises some questions. For one, integration risk remains: merging PurgeRite’s operations into Vertiv’s larger global infrastructure business will require retaining key technical staff, preserving relationships with existing PurgeRite clients, and ensuring quality standards remain high. As Vertiv itself cautioned in its filings, “actual events or results may differ materially” from projections.
There are also broader questions about industry dynamics. As more data centres switch to liquid cooling, will competition intensify? Could this consolidation reduce options for smaller services firms working in niche fluid-management? And — especially in Asia and Europe — will sufficient infrastructure and regulatory support exist to support widespread adoption of liquid cooling at scale?
For the industry at large, Vertiv’s move might accelerate the shift toward liquid cooling, prompting more data-centre operators to adopt fluid-based thermal management. But the long-term success will depend on careful execution — from system design and coolant purity through to maintenance, regulatory compliance, and global service delivery.
