Power technology firm Vertiv has acquired cold-plate design specialist Strategic Thermal Labs (STL) to strengthen its liquid cooling offering.

The acquisition “extends Vertiv’s thermal-chain strategy by strengthening engineering capability at the interface between server-side liquid cooling and supporting infrastructure - an increasingly critical factor in high-density, liquid-cooled environments supporting AI and high-performance computing workloads,” the company said.

Based in Georgetown, Texas, STL will apparently bring “proven cold-plate design, server-side liquid cooling, and high-density thermal validation expertise” to the Vertiv portfolio. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

“As AI and high‑performance computing push power densities to unprecedented levels, understanding and solving heat challenges at the chip level becomes critical to system design, performance, and reliability,” said Scott Armul, chief product and technology officer at Vertiv.

“STL brings deep expertise and proven capability in addressing some of the industry’s most demanding chip-level density and thermal problems, strengthening Vertiv’s ability to emulate and validate system-level solutions and enabling customers to improve performance and lifecycle outcomes in liquid-cooled environments.”

STL operates from a 60,000 sq ft (5,574 sqm) office and manufacturing facility in Georgetown. The company was founded by CEO Austin Shelnutt to meet the cooling needs of the electronics industry, and has been focused on liquid cooling in recent years, particularly since taking investment from Carrier Ventures in April 2024.