Authors: Michael Larner, Distinguished Analyst & Paris McKinley, Research Analyst
A Building Automation System (BAS) addresses many challenges faced by building managers. People forget to turn the lights off, equipment maintenance takes too long, and temperatures often fail to strike the right balance for comfort. These issues increase energy and maintenance costs, while making for a poor occupant experience.
Only a select few technology companies can truly claim that innovation is embedded in their corporate DNA. Many others follow the trail blazed by industry giants, striving to replicate their success. In today’s hyper-competitive and rapidly evolving digital world, identifying the most innovative technology companies is crucial for both solution providers looking to benchmark performance and organizations seeking strategic partners.
The ability to lead in innovation not only reflects a company’s technical prowess, but also signals future-readiness, market leadership, and customer-centricity. ABI Research’s Competitive Rankings for 2025 provide an unbiased lens into these innovation leaders, offering a nuanced perspective on transformative capabilities across 12 technology segments.
Table of Contents
From tariff impacts on the supply chain to advanced satellite innovations, ABI Research’s latest whitepapers shed light on the transformative forces shaping the global technology landscape in 2025. This blog highlights 10 must-read publications this year, each offering unique insights and strategic guidance across manufacturing, connectivity, smart infrastructure, and more.
As facility managers look to meet climate goals, reduce operational costs, and improve occupant experiences, smart building technologies are front and center. Amid this technological transformation, strategic alliances and renewed investment in existing infrastructure are on the rise. According to ABI Research, the push for digital innovation is not only reshaping technology portfolios, but also expanding smart building use cases across a wider range of sectors and geographies.
Data centers are the backbone of our digital age, but increasing compute demands from Artificial Intelligence (AI) and high-density racks make cooling a critical challenge. For example, data centers are forecast to double their annual energy consumption by 2030. ABI Research’s latest study ranks the top data center cooling companies, identifying leaders in delivering the best cooling systems with innovative thermal management solutions. From liquid cooling to digital oversight, these firms have demonstrated superior heat mitigation capabilities for data center operators around the world.
Table 1: Comparing the Top Data Center Cooling Companies
| Company Name |
Score (out of 100) |
Standout Features |
Strengths |
Best For (Who Would Be Interested?) |
| Vertiv |
81.1 |
Liebert range with free cooling, Vertiv 360AI, digital twin BMS integration, CoolTera acquisition, circular economy strategy |
Broad cooling portfolio (air + liquid), AI-ready with NVIDIA/Intel, ESG leadership, localized supply chain, strong onboarding, robust diagnostics and service |
Hyperscalers and colocation providers seeking full-stack, AI-optimized, sustainable cooling and integrated monitoring |
| Johnson Controls |
79.8 |
YORK chillers, Silent-Aire hyperscale cooling, OpenBlue software, Global DC Solutions org |
Long HVAC legacy, integrated services from design to maintenance, emission reduction ahead of target, strong retrofit and flexibility offerings |
Operators seeking mature, scalable solutions for multi-site operations with a focus on energy efficiency and lifecycle value |
| Schneider Electric |
74.1 |
EcoStruxure + DCIM 3.0, Motivair acquisition, modular builds, NVIDIA + NTT partnerships |
Cooling-agnostic and modular, liquid cooling for HPC, strong global footprint, software integration, strong edge and AI partnerships |
Enterprises or edge facilities prioritizing flexible deployment, global support, and AI-readiness |
| Daikin |
73.3 |
CRAH units, AHRI-standard chillers, Daikin on Site monitoring, L∞P circular economy program |
Strong air cooling, real-time monitoring, reclaimed refrigerant leadership, U.S. manufacturing expansion |
Data centers favoring standard-compliant air cooling with strong monitoring and circular economy capabilities |
| Trane |
71.1 |
TRACE®, myPLV®, myCO2e™ software tools, LiquidStack immersion cooling, Autodesk partnership |
High-efficiency HVAC, predictive software tools, circular service program, design-optimized solutions for engineers |
Facility managers and engineers focused on simulation-led design, performance optimization, and circular maintenance |
| Danfoss |
68.3 |
End-to-end cooling incl. direct-to-chip, Leanheat software, heat reuse, Net Zero Innovation Hub partnerships |
Proven PUE improvements, long-standing liquid cooling R&D, strong in North America + EU, small footprint modular products, IBM/HPE/Siemens collaborations |
Operators seeking liquid cooling innovations, heat reuse, and small-footprint efficiency |
Recent Research on Data Center Cooling
Electricity consumption in data centers poses one of the biggest decarbonization challenges of our time. On one hand, there is a huge demand for energy-guzzling applications within the Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) and cloud computing domains. On the other hand, cloud AI technologies require an unprecedented amount of power to run.
The year 2024 provided numerous technology trends shaping the future of nearly every industry. ABI Research analysts have been covering these developments for some time, and now it’s time to reflect upon our studies in our annual trends whitepaper. Before we dive into the list, here’s a statement from Stuart Carlaw, Chief Research Officer:
Working in a competitive industry demands that you become a data-driven organization. As a technology solution provider, effectively leveraging data can unlock significant advantages, such as driving market expansion and fostering innovation. Unfortunately, all too many companies lack an analytical approach to decision-making.
Data centers are the backbone of modern business and consumer applications, hosting vast amounts of information in the cloud. Everything from Artificial Intelligence (AI) use cases to online gaming platforms rely on data centers for proper data storage and management. As the world becomes more digitally native, data centers will generate higher Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and deplete more of Earth’s natural resources. This makes the need for green data centers all the more dire as governments race to meet global sustainability goals.