Daikin Applied sets out 60MW cooling reference design for AI factories
Reference Architecture D60-W pairs oil-free centrifugal chillers with dry coolers and rack containment units; the CDU and data centre dry cooler are still under development.
Daikin Applied has published Reference Architecture D60-W, a 60MW cooling design for AI factories built on the NVIDIA DSX platform with Vera Rubin NVL72 racks. The blueprint combines the company's oil-free Magnitude WME magnetic bearing centrifugal chillers with dry coolers, coolant distribution units and DDC Solutions S-Series rack containment units.
Most of the IT load is handled by liquid cooling, with the remainder captured at the rack by air-cooling containment units. Two temperature loops run in parallel: a high-temperature circuit for the CDUs and a separate low-temperature circuit for the containment units. Daikin Applied says the oil-free chillers avoid oil heaters, pumps and standby run cycles, and that the design switches between dry, hybrid and full mechanical cooling according to outdoor conditions.
The company presents D60-W as a starting framework for engineering teams rather than a fixed plant. For a shop or factory planning AI capacity, the practical point is that the CDU and the data centre dry cooler are still under development, with availability targeted for the second half of 2027, so the architecture cannot yet be specified as off-the-shelf equipment.