TL;DR
- Ecolab delivers “chip to chiller” cooling solutions globally to help operators manage power-intensive AI environments reliably and responsibly.
- In 2025, Ecolab helped its data center customers save 2.67 billion gallons of water, 40.5 million therms of energy, and 512,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, driving over $61 million (USD) in total value.
- The company is driving a strategic shift from reactive maintenance to proactive, real-time data monitoring, supported by lifecycle programs like Cooling-as-a-Service to simplify deployment and reduce operational risk.
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Data Center POST had the opportunity to connect with Matthew Branson, Vice President of Global Corporate Accounts, Data Center and Microelectronics for Ecolab, Inc. Over Matthew’s 17-year career with Ecolab, he has held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility in Marketing, Sales Operations, Corporate Account Sales Management, Field Sales Management and General Management in Ecolab’s Institutional and Food & Beverage Sectors.
Matthew is an active member of several Ecolab Employee Resource Groups, ERGs, and sits on the advisory board for the Black Leaders Forum (BLF) and EcoEssence. Matthew graduated from Michigan State University with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. He earned his MBA from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
What does Ecolab do?
At Ecolab, we help data center operators solve one of the biggest challenges in the AI era: how to cool increasingly dense, power-intensive environments reliably, efficiently, and responsibly. Cooling is among the largest drivers of both energy use and operational risk in a data center, directly impacting key metrics like PUE and uptime. We help customers improve cooling performance, protect uptime, and manage water and energy with confidence as demand accelerates. Ecolab’s data center business is one of 40 industries supported across 170 countries. A global leader in water, hygiene and infection prevention, Ecolab combines science‑based solutions, data‑driven insights, and world‑class service to drive performance and protect vital resources for millions of customers worldwide.
What problems does Ecolab solve in the market?
The market is moving fast. AI and high-performance computing are putting new pressure on data center infrastructure – especially around heat, energy, water, and reliability. Even small inefficiencies in cooling systems can drive meaningful increases in energy consumption and operating cost at scale. Our role is to help customers take complexity out of cooling, reduce operational risk, and create practical strategies that support growth without compromising uptime or resource stewardship. In 2025 alone, we helped data center customers worldwide save 2.67 billion gallons of water, 40.5 million therms of energy and 512,000 metric tons of CO2 emissions, valued together at more than $61 million (USD).
What are Ecolab’s core products or services?
Our portfolio supports data center cooling from the chip to the chiller, including Cooling-as-a-Service, advanced water management programs, field service expertise, digital monitoring, and technologies such as 3D TRASAR™ Technology for Direct-to-Chip Liquid Cooling. These solutions are designed to proactively identify issues, reduce rework, and accelerate commissioning timelines for new capacity. We help operators run more reliably and move faster as cooling requirements become more demanding.
With CoolIT, Ecolab is now uniquely positioned to offer end-to-end solutions across the full AI value chain, from ultra-pure water to produce the most advanced chips, to high-performing water systems for optimized power generation, to direct liquid cooling for the most powerful AI data centers. This further enables Ecolab to help customers scale AI faster with global solutions that protect people, natural resources, and communities.
What markets do you serve?
We serve data center operators globally, including hyperscale, colocation, and enterprise environments. Our core competency is helping customers scale AI infrastructure in regions facing power constraints, water stress, and/or aggressive deployment timelines, and where reliability and efficiency are critical to supporting mission-critical digital infrastructure.
What challenges does the global digital infrastructure industry face today?
AI demand is driving higher rack densities, greater cooling complexity, tighter speed-to-market expectations, and increased scrutiny on water and energy use. Demand is accelerating rapidly as data center capacity expands globally. At the same time, water and power are becoming more visible constraints as the industry scales. Operators need scalable, practical solutions built to protect reliability.
How is Ecolab adapting to these challenges?
We are adapting by driving a pivot from reactive maintenance to proactive, data-driven cooling management to bolster uptime, speed, resource efficiency, and operational confidence. PG25 coolant parameters, for example, often begin to shift before operational issues arise. Monitoring key fluid health indicators in real time can help operators catch and correct out-of-spec conditions before they escalate.
Ecolab combines field expertise, water science, chemistry, digital insight, and service to help customers manage cooling performance proactively instead of reacting after issues occur. With the recent acquisition of CoolIT, we’ll continue to work directly with our customers and bring together stakeholders across the power and water ecosystem to support the design of next-generation AI data centers that accelerate AI deployment while maximizing performance and minimizing impact.
What are Ecolab’s key differentiators?
Our biggest differentiator is the combination of deep water and process expertise with a global service model that operates where our customers operate. We have more than 100 years of experience helping customers run critical systems safely and efficiently. Even small improvements in cooling efficiency or reliability can translate into significant financial and operational impact at scale. We help customers manage cooling as a strategic operational lever, not just a utility.
What can we expect to see/hear from Ecolab in the future?
Ecolab will stay focused on practical innovation for the AI era. As the industry continues shifting toward liquid cooling, we are investing in solutions that support next-generation architectures. We will continue delivering solutions that help operators move faster, reduce risk, protect uptime, and manage water and energy more intelligently as cooling demands evolve.
What upcoming industry events will you be attending?
We will continue to stay close to the conversations shaping the future of digital infrastructure. You can expect to see Ecolab at DCD NOVA, OCP Global Summit, and SC26, where we will engage with operators, engineers, and technology partners on the future of data center cooling and next-generation operating models.
Do you have any recent news you would like us to highlight?
A key area of focus is our Cooling-as-a-Service program. It is designed to reduce the complexity of cooling management by supporting project planning, commissioning, start-up, ongoing service, and maintenance. The model improves speed to deployment, reduces operational risk, and delivers more predictable performance across the lifecycle of the asset, giving customers greater confidence and consistency as they scale.
In addition, at SC26 in November 2026, Ecolab plans to introduce a new end-to-end 3D TRASAR™ cooling platform combining CoolIT technologies, including coolant distribution units (CDUs) and high-performing cold plates, with integrated 3D TRASAR™ digital optimization and advanced cooling fluids. Supported by global expertise, the platform will optimize water, power, and compute performance at scale for next-gen AI architectures like NVIDIA Vera Rubin, Grace Blackwell, and more.
Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about your company and capabilities?
The scale and complexity of AI infrastructure is driving a more integrated approach to cooling, water, and energy management. The future of data centers will be shaped by strong partnerships between operators, technology providers, engineers, and service partners. Ecolab’s role is to bring practical expertise, disciplined execution, and collaborative problem-solving to help the industry scale efficiently, responsibly, and reliably.
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