Vertiv has broadened its CoolPhase Perimeter PAM air-cooled cooling range for EMEA markets, adding models equipped with an EconoPhase Pumped Refrigerant Economizer and switching to R-513A refrigerant — a lower-impact alternative with 70% lower global warming potential than the R-410A still common in older installations. The expansion targets small, medium, and edge data center deployments where space is constrained and operational efficiency directly impacts the bottom line.
The timing is deliberate. The EU’s updated F-Gas Regulation 2024/573 is tightening restrictions on high-GWP fluorinated gases, and operators who haven’t already transitioned face regulatory pressure to do so. Vertiv is positioning this as a compliance-ready option, though the efficiency case stands on its own: variable speed compressors and the EconoPhase economizer mode both contribute to improved PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) and lower total cost of ownership over the system’s lifespan. The unit connects to an external CoolPhase Condenser and is managed through Vertiv’s Liebert iCOM controller, which provides unified visibility and control across the cooling system.
The expanded range is available across EMEA now. Vertiv hasn’t published specific capacity or footprint specifications in this announcement, but the positioning — small, medium, and edge — suggests the focus is on sub-enterprise deployments: retail branches, manufacturing edge nodes, telecom infrastructure, and similar sites that run IT gear but don’t have the physical footprint or budget for enterprise-scale cooling architecture.
Why It Matters
Cooling is the unglamorous cost center that data center operators are increasingly forced to take seriously. The combination of rising energy costs, stricter EU environmental regulations, and denser compute workloads is pushing operators toward systems that do more with less refrigerant and less power. By refreshing the CoolPhase Perimeter line with a lower-GWP refrigerant and adding economizer capability, Vertiv is delivering a product that checks the compliance box while also making a credible efficiency argument — a harder pitch to ignore when power costs are a primary operational lever.
Vertiv is a global provider of critical digital infrastructure and continuity solutions, serving data centers, communication networks, and commercial and industrial environments worldwide.
