Representative End User Clients
Representative Automation Clients
Representative Software Clients
The new Motivair WCDU supports hybrid liquid and air cooling architectures for high-density AI data centers, giving operators greater flexibility as cooling requirements evolve.
Schneider Electric has launched its WCDU coolant distribution unit, designed to integrate with fan wall air-cooling systems and support hybrid liquid and air cooling architectures in high-density AI data centers.
The unit allows data center operators to adjust the balance between liquid and air cooling without fully redesigning the data hall. This flexibility can help reduce the risk of overbuilt infrastructure or stranded cooling capacity while workload requirements are still being finalized.
Supporting Flexible Cooling Architectures
As AI workloads increase rack densities and thermal loads, data center cooling architectures are evolving beyond traditional air-cooling approaches. The WCDU is designed for environments where operators need to combine liquid cooling with existing or planned fan wall systems rather than transition entirely to one cooling architecture.
The unit is optimized for installation in the technical corridor outside the data center white space, an approach increasingly used to simplify maintenance and service access. Top-entry connections help keep cooling infrastructure outside the white space and reduce installation complexity.
The all-in-one design incorporates pumps, heat exchangers, and other components within a single steel frame. Zero lateral clearance allows units to be installed next to one another, supporting higher infrastructure density in both new and existing facilities. The configuration also provides operators using fan wall systems with a potential path for retrofitting existing data halls.
Scaling for High-Density AI Data Centers
A single WCDU provides cooling capacity of up to 3.5 MW at 1.5 liters per minute per kilowatt. Up to 20 units can operate together in group mode, supporting the cooling requirements of data halls in the 30-to-40-MW range. Warmer operating temperatures can also improve overall cooling-system energy efficiency.
The WCDU expands the Motivair by Schneider Electric liquid cooling portfolio as data center operators evaluate a wider range of cooling architectures for AI and high-performance computing environments. The unit is scheduled to begin shipping in select regions in October 2026, with US pre-orders opening in early 2027.
Related ARC Insights
ARC has been following the shift toward liquid and hybrid cooling as higher-density AI and accelerated computing workloads place greater thermal demands on data center infrastructure.
Motivair by Schneider Electric Introduces 2.5 MW CDU for Scalable AI and HPC Data Centers
Motivair by Schneider Electric: New Coolant Distribution Units for HPC and AI Workloads
Schneider Electric: New Data Center Solutions for High-Density AI and Accelerated Compute Demands
The WCDU reflects the continued evolution of liquid cooling toward more flexible deployment models that allow data center operators to adapt cooling infrastructure as AI workloads, rack densities, and facility requirements change.