New York, Jan 6, 2026, 20:23 EST — Market closed
- Vertiv closed up 0.6% after falling as much as 6.6% intraday
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said next Rubin chips need “no water chillers,” jolting cooling-linked names
- Barclays flagged Vertiv and nVent as better positioned in liquid and precision cooling
Vertiv Holdings (VRT.N) shares swung sharply on Tuesday but closed up 0.6% at $174.95. The stock fell as low as $162.42 before rebounding, with about 7.8 million shares changing hands.
The move matters because traders have treated Vertiv as a direct play on the infrastructure behind artificial-intelligence computing. Any hint that next-generation chips may change the amount — or mix — of cooling equipment needed in data centers can reprice the group quickly.
At the CES technology show in Las Vegas on Monday, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the company’s next-generation Vera Rubin platform would go into full production and that “no water chillers are necessary for data centers,” a reference to large systems that cool water for some air-conditioning setups. Johnson Controls ended down 6.2% and Trane Technologies fell 2.5%, while Carrier Global slipped 0.5%; nVent Electric rose 3.3%. Barclays analysts led by Julian Mitchell wrote that “one should not take their comments lightly” but said Vertiv and nVent have stronger positions in precision air cooling and liquid cooling. 1
Liquid cooling moves heat away using fluid circulated close to servers, a setup that can handle higher chip densities than traditional air cooling. Precision air cooling relies on tightly controlled airflow inside the data hall and remains common in many sites.
For Vertiv, the debate is not simply about less cooling, but about where the spending goes as chipmakers push rack power higher. Investors will watch whether demand shifts toward liquid-cooling loops, pumps and controls, or away from chiller-heavy designs in parts of the installed base.
The late rebound left the $162 area — Tuesday’s session low — as a near-term line on traders’ charts, with $175 back in view after the recovery. A break below that low would sharpen questions about how quickly suppliers can adjust as data-center designs evolve.
Attention now turns to Vertiv’s next results and guidance, particularly order growth tied to AI data centers and margins in its thermal segment. The company has not confirmed its next reporting date; MarketBeat estimates earnings on Feb. 11, before the U.S. market opens.
The risk is that major customers push out builds or redesign facilities faster than suppliers can adapt, squeezing near-term orders and pricing. A broader slowdown in cloud and colocation capital spending would also test the backlog that has supported the sector.
Investors will keep parsing CES commentary this week, then look to Vertiv’s earnings update, expected around Feb. 11, for a clearer read on 2026 demand and the pace of the shift toward liquid cooling.
