Vertiv expands Slovakian campus as demand for AI infrastructure continues to surge

The move will increase production of AI-ready power, cooling and switchgear technologies as demand for AI infrastructure grows

Digital infrastructure vendor Vertiv has announced a 22,000 square metre expansion of its Nové Mesto nad Váhom campus in Slovakia as demand for AI-driven datacentre infrastructure continues to surge across EMEA.

The expansion, which is due to happen over the next 18-24 months, will increase production capacity for liquid cooling, power systems and switchgear as enterprises continue to heavily invest in AI and datacentre capacity.

The additional liquid cooling capacity comes as AI workloads push datacentre power densities beyond what traditional air-cooling methods can efficiently support.

Vertiv also believes this expansion of manufacturing will reduce organisations’ time-to-token. As tokens are being spent at a rapid pace, seeing value in AI investments quickly is becoming critical.

Time-to-token refers to the period between deploying AI infrastructure and being able to generate usable output from AI workloads, a metric increasingly used to measure how quickly organisations can see value from AI investments.

Vertiv said the development will help it meet growing customer demand across EMEA and accelerate deployment of the power and cooling infrastructure required for AI and high-performance computing environments.

According to Fortune Business Insights the worldwide datacentre market is projected to reach $699.1bn (£527.23bn) by 2034, with datacentre capacity projected to surge to 222GW by 2030, up from 81GW in 2024, according to Macquarie.

The expansion investment highlights the growing demand for power and cooling technologies that underpin AI deployments, creating opportunities for partners involved in datacentre modernisation and AI infrastructure projects.

“As AI and other critical digital applications increase in the region, we continue to invest in our manufacturing capabilities across EMEA,” said Paul Ryan, president of Vertiv in EMEA.

“The expansion of Nové Mesto nad Váhom will enhance our ability to support customers deploying increasingly critical digital infrastructure while further strengthening our capabilities for next-generation AI and high-performance computing applications.

“As organisations accelerate AI adoption, speed of deployment has become a critical competitive advantage.

“Reducing time-to-token, the time required to move from infrastructure deployment to business value generated by AI workloads, is becoming a key priority for customers.

“This investment further strengthens Vertiv's ability to help bring critical power and cooling capacity online faster and at scale.”

Vertiv supplies power, cooling and infrastructure technologies to hyperscale cloud providers, datacentres and commercial and industrial environments.

The expansion of its Slovakian campus follows expansion initiatives across its manufacturing facilities in Ireland, Croatia, Malaysia, Mexico, and the US.

Vertiv said it plans to develop the site into an integrated manufacturing and technology hub, bringing together engineering, operational functions, and production together at a single campus.

It estimates that the project will create hundreds of new employment opportunities, reflecting Vertiv’s long-term plan of developing the talent, skills and expertise required to support the future of critical digital infrastructure.

“We envision Nové Mesto nad Váhom as a world-class manufacturing campus where people, technology, and innovation come together to serve some of the most technically advanced customers and demanding applications in the market,” said Chris Hales, VP operations EMEA, Vertiv.

“This investment will strengthen our industrial capabilities while creating an environment where talent can grow, innovation can flourish, and operational excellence can thrive.”