Ecolab to Acquire Canadian CoolIT for $4.75 B to Boost Data‑Center Cooling

St. Paul‑based Ecolab announced a $4.75 billion acquisition of Calgary‑based CoolIT, a liquid‑cooling technology provider for microchips. The deal, expected to close in the third quarter, expands Ecolab’s water‑management portfolio into the data‑center market, where AI‑driven workloads are driving higher electricity and water use. Ecolab CEO Christophe Beck highlighted the growing resource challenge, saying AI will soon require power equivalent to India’s electricity consumption and water comparable to U.S. drinking needs. By pairing CoolIT’s cooling solutions with Ecolab’s ultrapure‑water expertise—including a 2023 purchase of Ovivo’s electronics business—the company aims to cut water consumption in data centers and increase recycling rates from the current 5 % toward 95 %. The acquisition positions Ecolab as a major service provider for the microelectronics industry, which is scaling up to meet global AI demand while confronting sustainability concerns.