Dive Brief:

• Schneider Electric and Compass Datacenters will collaborate on a jointly engineered, prefabricated solution for data center “white space” that combines power, cooling and IT networking equipment in a modular unit, the companies said Sept. 9.
• The Schneider/Compass announcement comes less than a week after Schneider announced an agreement with AVAIO Digital Partners to supply power and HVAC equipment to four data centers in late-stage development.
• The white space solution, EcoStruxure Pod, is designed to integrate with customers’ existing infrastructure, minimizing onsite labor, lowering the risk of installation errors and resulting in a simpler build with lower upfront costs, the companies say. This month’s announcements align with Schneider’s goal to support data center operations “from grid to chip and chip to chiller,” CEO Olivier Blum said in July.

Dive Insight:

Schneider’s rapidly growing data center business has propelled its financial performance in recent quarters. In a July investor update, the company forecast double-digit growth in the segment through 2027.

Schneider reported a nearly 16% revenue increase in the first half of 2025 from its energy management group, which includes its data centers and networks segment. It expects that segment to grow significantly faster than its other business lines over the next two years.

Recent strategic moves will shore up Schneider’s position as a leading data center solutions provider, Blum said during the company’s July investor update.

Those moves include a partnership with NVIDIA and ETAP on “digital twins” to simulate data centers’ power needs and the acquisition of a 75% stake in Motivair, a provider of liquid cooling and advanced thermal management solutions for data centers. Schneider announced both tie-ups earlier this year.

Initial assessments suggest the EcoStruxure Pod “could deliver notable capital expenditure savings compared to traditional processes while also enabling data center operators to begin revenue generation from their new facilities up to three months sooner,” the companies said.

The Compass partnership gives Schneider access to a major player in the growing U.S. data center market. Compass has more than a gigawatt of data center capacity operating or under development in the United States, including a 2.4 million square-foot campus at the former Sears headquarters outside Chicago.

Meanwhile, Schneider’s partnership with AVAIO will enable the data center developer “to address the growing demand for large scale AI projects that have unique power and cooling requirements, with a focus on speed to market to meet customers’ increasing need for capacity,” AVAIO Senior Director for Global Design and Delivery Joe Hubbard said in a statement. 

AVAIO will incorporate Schneider switchgears, power distribution units, uninterruptible power supply systems, and chillers into four “AI-ready” data centers nearing construction, the companies said Sept. 3. 

Separately, Schneider will implement “condition-based maintenance models and data-driven predictive analytics” to reduce unplanned downtime, extend equipment lifespans and lower operational costs at AVAIO’s facilities, the companies said.

Capacity from the first phase of AVAIO’s data center buildout could come online as soon as next year, AVAIO CEO Mark McComiskey said in a statement. 

AVAIO is also investing in “onsite, behind-the-meter utility-scale solar generation at several campuses, responding to the industry focus on powering their AI infrastructure needs directly from renewable sources,” he said.