In an industry that moves at the speed of AI, a single year can feel like a decade. Data center growth reached unprecedented scale in 2025, and demand isn’t slowing. Projections indicate the industry will more than double to an estimated $584 billion globally by 2032. This growth has catalyzed conversations around infrastructure and resource use, as utility providers struggle to keep pace with the expanded industry footprint. Part of the complexity lies in cooling, which continues to evolve along with the needs of high-performance computing. S&P Global reports that in the U.S. alone, data centers required 22% more grid power in 2025 than the year prior. Without new breakthrough technologies, this strain will only intensify. Fortunately, as we exit a year of collisions between demand and capability, we’ve entered an era of innovation poised to transform cooling from site to chip. 

Last year, Ecolab launched two critical programs to anchor its integrated cooling portfolio for data centers. The wave of innovation started with 3D TRASAR™ Technology for Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling, built to protect data center servers by monitoring coolant health indicators in real time. Ecolab® Cooling as a Service (CaaS) followed soon after, a program designed to unlock peak cooling performance by combining on-site support and deep insights across facility and technology loops. With the CaaS program, data center customers received Ecolab’s first smart Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) with 3D TRASAR Technology integrated directly into the system. Together, these offerings enabled Ecolab to support the entire data center cooling landscape, with insights to drive consistent performance while reducing demand on water and energy resources. 

We took 3D TRASAR Technology and other solutions on the road, travelling worldwide to hear directly from our customers and other stakeholders at numerous industry events. Our global tour culminated in a showcase at SC25, the leading global conference for high-performance computing. SC25 offered a unique opportunity for Ecolab to highlight its cooling innovation alongside the latest advancements in AI and quantum computing. In our conversations with tech industry leaders at the event, two key trends emerged: 

• Site selection will continue to be the dominating conversation as the data center industry expands. Cooling plays a critical role, and operators need to evaluate geographic considerations early to determine the best way to manage available resources.  
  
  
• The rapid acceleration of AI is breaking down decades of siloed innovation and forcing the industry to rethink the connections between thermal, water and power systems. Operators and engineers can no longer look at these systems as independent entities. Instead, they require an integrated strategy to manage resources effectively.  

These themes set the stage for 2026, which will be characterized by how the industry adapts to its rapid growth. As AI continues to accelerate the pace of change, one constant remains: Ecolab will continue to spark innovation and deliver integrated solutions to power a cool data center future.