Mubadala offloads minority stake in nearly $5bn CoolIT deal

Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Investment Company will sell its minority stake in CoolIT Systems, a Canada-based data centre cooling business, in a deal struck by US investment firm KKR.

New York Stock Exchange-listed Ecolab will acquire CoolIT Systems for $4.75 billion, the sovereign wealth fund said in a statement.

Mubadala bought into CoolIT alongside KKR, which invested through its Global Impact Fund II, in 2023. 

Mubadala did not disclose the size or value of its stake.

Hyperscalers and data centre operators use CoolIT’s liquid-cooling technologies to improve energy efficiency and support higher-density AI infrastructure across more than 300 data centres worldwide.

Liquid-cooled data centres use 30-40 percent less energy for cooling and consume less water compared to traditional air-cooled data centres. 

“When Mubadala invested in CoolIT three years ago, we had a strong conviction that liquid cooling would become a critical enabler of more sustainable digital infrastructure,” said Abdulla Mohamed Shadid, head of energy and sustainability, private equity at Mubadala. 

Since 2023, CoolIT has expanded its manufacturing footprint to more than 300,000 square feet and increased the capacity of its coolant distribution units by 25 times. 

By 2030, data centres are projected to consume 945 terawatt-hours, surpassing the combined current usage of Germany and France, the statement said, quoting a World Economic Forum report.

Water use is projected to reach 450 million gallons per day, equivalent to the daily use of 5 million people, up from 292 million gallons in 2022. 

In 2025, CoolIT delivered 2.18 billion kilowatt-hours in energy savings, enough to power about 200,000 homes for one year.

The transaction, subject to regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the third quarter of 2026.

Mubadala’s $330 billion portfolio spans six continents with interests in multiple sectors and asset classes.   

Further reading:

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• Brookfield says no war impact on $20bn Qatar AI venture
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