Johnson Controls plans to acquire Silent-Aire for $870 million.

The Irish maker of fire, HVAC, and security equipment for buildings bought the data center cooling provider in an all-cash transaction.

Silent-Aire makes Computer Room Air Conditioner (CRAC) and Air Handling Unit (CRAHU) and offers solutions for free, direct, water, and evaporative cooling. As well as cooling technology, the company makes container-sized modular data centers.

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Johnson targets hyperscalers

“With Silent-Aire, Johnson Controls has a significant opportunity to increase our focus on the data center vertical and accelerate growth in this attractive end market by combining the strengths of our global scale in manufacturing and service, with leading-edge innovation and a broad portfolio of technologies dedicated to serving hyperscale providers,” said George Oliver, Johnson Controls chairman and CEO.

“We are incredibly excited to welcome Silent-Aire to the Johnson Controls family as we look to build upon their success of nearly 30 years of innovation, operational expertise, and deep customer relationships.”

Founded in 1994, Silent-Aire is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, and has approximately 3,000 employees globally. The deal expected to close in Q3 of 2021. $630 million will be paid upfront with additional payments made subject to certain milestones being achieved.

“Silent-Aire grew up with the cloud and our DNA translates what it means to be a hyperscale data center company," said Lindsey Leckelt Silent-Aire co-CEO. “Johnson Controls shares our vision to scale as a data center platform business, which will enable us to serve our partners globally.”