Vertiv plans to expand its Nové Mesto nad Váhom campus in Slovakia by 22,000 sqm, expanding production capacity for power, switchgear and thermal-management equipment for AI and high-performance computing. For UK buyers weighing power bottlenecks in AI infrastructure, this expansion — in our analysis — is worth tracking as part of broader EU supply-chain shifts.
View the data behind this chart
| Phase | Starts (week) | Duration (weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| Facility build-out (22,000 sqm) | 0 | 104 |
| Phased hiring across functions | 52 | 104 |
What Vertiv has confirmed
Vertiv plans to add 22,000 sqm (236,806 sq ft) to its existing Nové Mesto nad Váhom facility in western Slovakia, close to the Czech border, according to Vertiv and reported by DataCenterDynamics on 28 September 2026. The build-out is scheduled over the next two years and will lift production capacity for power, switchgear and thermal management technologies, including liquid cooling and power systems built for high-density AI and HPC deployments.
Vertiv says the expansion will create "hundreds" of new roles across manufacturing, engineering, operations, supply chain, quality, technical and leadership functions, with hiring phased between 2027 and 2029. Nové Mesto nad Váhom joins Vertiv's existing manufacturing footprint in Croatia, Ireland, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico and the US.
Why Slovakia, why now
The announcement comes as Vertiv reports strong growth and further capacity investment. Paul Ryan, Vertiv's EMEA president, said the company is continuing to invest as "AI and other critical digital applications increase in the region." Vertiv said the investment will strengthen its ability to help customers bring critical power and cooling capacity online faster and at scale. That framing matches Vertiv's broader financial trajectory: Vertiv's revenue rose 35% in the period reported by the company in July 2026, and it described itself as "strategically investing in capacity expansion" to capitalize on AI-driven infrastructure growth.
Vertiv has also expanded its cooling portfolio through its acquisition of ThermoKey, which added dry coolers and microchannel heat exchangers, and has supplied power and cooling infrastructure for projects such as a 3MW facility in Rome. Slovakia's expanded plant sits alongside this pattern of regional capability-building rather than as a one-off announcement.
The supply-chain diversification angle for UK buyers
For UK infrastructure teams, the practical question is whether more EU-based production capacity for power, switchgear and thermal-management technologies translates into shorter, more predictable lead times than sourcing routed through Asia. Vertiv markets its EMEA micro data center offering as deliverable "in days" with installation measured in hours, though whether the Slovakia expansion itself shortens lead times for particular products remains to be confirmed.
That said, a two-year build-out with hiring stretching to 2029 means the added Slovak capacity will not materially change availability overnight. UK buyers should treat this as a medium-term supply signal rather than an immediate fix for current constraints, and continue to monitor server lead times and supply chain trends as the facility ramps up.
What's actually being manufactured — and why it matters for AI deployments
The expansion is expected to increase production capacity for power, switchgear and thermal-management technologies, including advanced liquid-cooling and power solutions designed for high-density AI and HPC applications. This aligns with Vertiv's wider UPS roadmap: Vertiv's Trinergy materials report efficiency of up to 97.1% in double-conversion mode and up to 99% in Dynamic Online mode — figures that matter directly to UK operators weighing power costs and resilience against rising AI rack densities.
Buyers evaluating cooling strategy for dense AI racks should understand AI server cooling options and learn about direct-to-chip liquid cooling before committing to procurement cycles that may run alongside Vertiv's own capacity ramp.
Practical steps for UK procurement teams
Rather than waiting passively for capacity to land, UK buyers can use this announcement to stress-test their own sourcing plans. That means reviewing current vendor lead-time commitments against the facility's stated two-year expansion schedule (expected to run from around September 2026), and asking suppliers directly whether EU-manufactured power and cooling lines will be prioritised for European customers as capacity comes online.
It's also worth revisiting financing structures for major power and cooling refreshes now, rather than after demand tightens further. Teams can finance your UPS and power equipment ahead of expected AI-driven demand spikes, and should optimise your IT procurement strategy to build in supply-chain contingency clauses. Product specification work can start now via Vertiv power and cooling products and by using tools to access power and cooling calculators for capacity planning.
The limits of the diversification story
It's worth being clear-eyed about what this expansion does and doesn't solve. Industry analysis has noted that operators pushing for faster capacity — through on-site power generation and reduced permitting friction — still run into a practical ceiling on how quickly new manufacturing or infrastructure can come online. A 22,000 sqm expansion delivered over two years, with staffing phased out to 2029, is a genuine capacity signal, but it is not a substitute for near-term supply planning.
UK buyers should read this as one data point in a broader EMEA manufacturing build-out — alongside Vertiv's Croatian, Irish and Italian sites — rather than a guaranteed fix for today's lead-time pressures on PDUs, UPS units and cooling systems.
- 01DataCenterDynamics — Vertiv expands data center kit manufacturing capacity in Slovakia · 28 September 2026
- 02DataCenterDynamics — Vertiv's revenue jumps 35 percent amid unprecedented data center growth · 1 July 2026
- 03DataCenterDynamics — Vertiv launches micro data center in EMEA · 1 January 2026
- 04DataCenterDynamics — Vertiv unveils next-generation UPS to support high-capacity AI power demands · 1 January 2026
- 05DataCenterDynamics — Vertiv acquires data center cooling firm ThermoKey · 1 January 2026
- 06DataCenterDynamics — The rise of Vertiv · 1 January 2026
- 07datacenterdynamics.com
- 08datacenterdynamics.com