Can Vertiv outpace competitors with Great Lakes’ custom rack technology?

Vertiv Holdings has intensified its push into the data center infrastructure market with the acquisition of Great Lakes Data Racks & Cabinets, a move that signals a sharper focus on customized, high-performance rack systems for modern computing needs. The Ohio-based critical digital infrastructure provider stated in its press release that Great Lakes’ engineering expertise will help integrate advanced thermal and power distribution solutions directly into rack systems. This development comes as hyperscale operators and edge data center providers increasingly demand modular, AI-ready infrastructure to support high-density computing.

How does Vertiv’s acquisition of Great Lakes reshape its competitive positioning against Schneider Electric and Eaton in the data center rack market?

Vertiv’s latest move is more than a simple portfolio expansion—it represents a calculated shift toward vertical integration, allowing the company to deliver complete infrastructure solutions rather than isolated components. Great Lakes, known for its custom-engineered racks optimized for airflow management and liquid cooling, offers Vertiv an immediate competitive advantage in AI and high-performance computing (HPC) markets. According to Vertiv’s official statement, integrating Great Lakes’ product line with Vertiv’s existing power management and thermal control systems will help reduce deployment times for data center operators seeking rapid, scalable rollouts.

This strategic direction places Vertiv in direct competition with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure data center architecture and Eaton’s modular infrastructure solutions. Schneider Electric has long been a dominant force in rack-integrated cooling and monitoring, while Eaton leverages its strong power management expertise. Market observers believe Vertiv’s edge lies in custom rack innovation that supports the rising power densities associated with AI workloads. Based on industry estimates, racks optimized for AI deployments may soon need to support more than 30kW of power per rack, far beyond traditional infrastructure design limits. Vertiv’s integration of thermal and power components at the rack level could address this emerging demand faster than competitors relying on off-the-shelf rack systems.

The acquisition also reflects a growing trend toward end-to-end infrastructure ecosystems, where providers seek to simplify deployment for enterprise customers. This suggests Vertiv is positioning itself as a single-source partner for hyperscalers, telcos, and edge computing operators, particularly those experimenting with AI and 5G applications. By controlling both the rack design and integrated cooling systems, Vertiv can customize solutions for unique workloads, such as liquid-cooled GPUs or edge-located micro data centers.

Industry analysts have noted that Vertiv’s ability to leverage Great Lakes’ engineering strengths will be critical to its global expansion ambitions. Great Lakes has traditionally been strong in North American markets, serving medium-scale enterprises and niche government projects. Scaling this expertise to meet the volume and geographic diversity of hyperscale customers may be challenging. Schneider and Eaton both benefit from deeply entrenched global supply chains and local manufacturing networks, giving them a speed advantage in regions like Asia-Pacific and Europe. Vertiv will need to rapidly align Great Lakes’ production capabilities with its existing global network to compete effectively.

Nonetheless, market experts believe this acquisition could help Vertiv differentiate itself from both large and niche rivals. Niche players such as Chatsworth Products have made significant inroads into AI-optimized rack solutions, but lack the large-scale thermal and power integration that Vertiv can now offer. If Vertiv succeeds in marrying Great Lakes’ custom designs with its thermal and power expertise, it could establish itself as a front-runner in the emerging AI data center infrastructure market.

Looking ahead, Vertiv’s strategy appears focused on developing AI-specific racks that integrate liquid cooling and direct-to-chip thermal management, a capability crucial for data centers running advanced machine learning workloads. This opens opportunities for collaborations with semiconductor and server OEMs, which are actively seeking rack solutions tailored to next-generation chips. Moreover, as edge computing infrastructure becomes increasingly important for 5G and industrial IoT applications, Vertiv’s custom rack capabilities could make it a preferred partner for telcos and micro data center operators seeking compact, high-density solutions.

The success of this acquisition will largely depend on Vertiv’s ability to scale production, maintain supply chain resilience, and deliver measurable cost and energy efficiency benefits to its customers. If executed effectively, Vertiv could not only challenge Schneider Electric and Eaton in traditional markets but also leap ahead in AI and HPC infrastructure, establishing itself as a leader in the next phase of data center evolution.