Schneider Electric launched its most powerful Motivair WCDU (Water Cooling Distribution Unit) supporting hybrid air and liquid-cooled environments.

Schneider Electric has launched the WCDU (coolant distribution unit), a new hybrid cooling solution designed for AI data centers. The unit is engineered for seamless integration with fan wall air-cooling systems to support hybrid air and liquid cooling architectures in high-density environments. As part of the Motivair by Schneider Electric range, the WCDU allows operators to adjust the balance between liquid and air cooling without requiring a complete data hall redesign.

Many data center operators are navigating the transition to liquid cooling for AI workloads while maintaining air cooling systems for traditional cloud and enterprise servers. Schneider is positioning the WCDU to address this hybrid deployment challenge.

"As the only CDU that brings together both liquid and air cooling within a single solution, we're delivering a level of flexibility the market hasn't seen before," said Andrew Bradner, senior vice president of the cooling business at Schneider Electric. "This approach allows operators to deploy more efficiently, support a wider range of liquid cooling infrastructure configurations, and significantly reduce time to deployment."

The WCDU is optimized for deployment outside the data center white space, in the technical corridor. A single unit can achieve capacity up to 3.5MW at 1.5 liters per minute per kW, or 2.5MW at two liters per minute per kW. Up to 20 WCDUs can operate as a coordinated system, making it the most powerful CDU in Schneider's Motivair range. Schneider acquired cooling firm Motivair in 2025.

The company will begin shipping the WCDU in selected regions next month, with pre-orders beginning in the US in early 2027.