Daikin Applied Introduces 60 MW AI Factory Cooling Reference Architecture

Blueprint connects rack cooling, oil-free chillers, dry coolers and controls in one system

MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Daikin Applied today introduced Reference Architecture D60-W Water-Cooled Chillers with Dry Coolers, a 60-megawatt (MW) cooling blueprint for AI factories based on the NVIDIA DSX AI Factory Platform with NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72. The architecture gives data center developers, engineers and operators a starting point for designing cooling from rack to ambient, connecting cooling equipment and controls into a single system.

As AI factories scale, cooling plays a growing role in how quickly capacity comes online and how reliably it runs. Planning for it often means coordinating rack requirements, facility equipment, heat rejection systems and controls across multiple teams and suppliers. D60-W brings those elements together in one design, helping customers reduce integration complexity and move more quickly into project engineering.

D60-W supports a 60 MW IT load across six deployable units. Liquid cooling handles 92% of the load and air cooling handles the remaining 8%. The design runs two temperature loops. A high-temperature liquid loop serves the coolant distribution units (CDUs) and a dedicated low-temperature loop serves the air-cooling rack containment units, improving overall plant efficiency.

Recovering cooling fast enough to protect compute
D60-W is built around Daikin Applied's oil-free Magnitude® WME magnetic bearing centrifugal chillers, with capacities up to 10 MW. In D60-W, dry coolers carry the cooling load for most of the year in suitable climates, with chillers supporting the operation during the hottest days. Large-scale chillers have traditionally relied on oil lubrication, which requires maintenance even during extended periods of standby operation, including oil management and periodic run cycles. Oil-free technology removes oil heaters, pumps and standard oil servicing requirements, reducing standby energy use and maintenance. It also eliminates oil-related startup delays when chillers return from the standby state, helping cooling recover quickly and protecting GPU availability.

"AI factories are designed to turn energy into output as efficiently as possible, and cooling infrastructure sits right at the center of that challenge," said Yu Nishiwaki, president and CEO of Daikin Applied. "D60-W draws on the full depth of Daikin Applied's portfolio, giving customers a single partner as they scale AI operations."

Air and liquid cooling working as one system at the rack
D60-W's racks are primarily liquid cooled via CDUs, while the DDC Solutions S-Series rack containment units (RCUs) capture the remaining heat at the rack and move it directly to the low-temperature loop, with fire suppression and water-loop protection built into every rack¹. Operators can run compute in air-cooled, liquid-cooled or hybrid configurations side by side.

"An AI factory is a system of systems," said Karim Shalash, director of Data Center Solutions at Daikin Applied. "A cooling decision at the rack carries implications for water temperatures, flow requirements, plant operation and heat rejection. D60-W gives engineering teams a framework for working through those dependencies and developing a cooling architecture around the facility's operating requirements."

Built for uptime at every layer
At the equipment level, Daikin Applied's RideThrough® and RapidRestore® chiller technologies address brief power disturbances and restart after shutdown. At the system level, redundancy across the cooling system – from the rack to the dry cooler – helps maintain uptime during equipment outages and planned maintenance.

Limiting water and energy use year-round
D60-W switches between dry cooling, hybrid cooling and full mechanical cooling based on outdoor conditions. In dry cooling mode, the chiller compressors are off. In hybrid mode, waterside economizers precool the return water and the chillers handle the remaining load. Heat rejection relies on dry coolers instead of evaporative cooling towers, which eliminates cooling-tower make-up water and supports low water usage effectiveness (WUE).

Getting from design to capacity faster
Within D60-W, Daikin Applied's iDCM supervisory layer coordinates RCUs, CDUs, chillers and dry coolers as one plant. It manages load sharing, balances equipment operating hours and controls transitions between the three operating modes. Built-in redundancy and integration with site management systems provide greater control resilience and centralized visibility, while energy optimization and predictive maintenance capabilities support plant efficiency and equipment reliability.

Because D60-W scales by deployable unit, project teams can add capacity as demand grows, backed by Daikin Applied commissioning, planned maintenance and 24/7 emergency response. The Daikin Applied CDU and data center dry cooler are currently under development, with availability targeted for the second half of 2027.

To access Reference Architecture D60-W Water-Cooled Chillers with Dry Coolers and discuss its application to a project, visit daikinapplied.com/industry-solutions/data-center-solutions/D60W-ai-factory-reference-architecture/

About Daikin Applied
Daikin Applied, a member of Daikin Industries, Ltd., which was named to the 2026 Fortune Global 500, designs and manufactures advanced commercial and industrial HVAC systems for customers around the world. The company's technology and services play a vital role in creating comfortable, efficient and sustainable spaces to work and live — and in delivering quality air to workers, tenants and building owners. Daikin Applied solutions are sold through a global network of dedicated sales, service and parts offices. For more information or to locate a Daikin Applied representative, visit www.daikinapplied.com or call 800-432-1342. Also, follow the company on LinkedIn for the latest on HVAC technology, services and trends.

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SOURCE Daikin Applied