Eaton Strengthens AI Investment

Eaton makes a new acquisition and announces several collaborations to solidify its standing in the race for better, more efficient AI data centers.

December 1, 2025

Eaton has acquired Boyd Thermal, a supplier of thermal components, systems and ruggedized solutions for data centers. (Eaton)

In early November, Eaton announced it signed an agreement to acquire the Boyd Thermal business from Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Boyd Thermal is a supplier of thermal components, systems and ruggedized solutions for data centers, aerospace and other end markets. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals, is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026.

“Bringing together Boyd Thermal’s highly engineered liquid cooling technology and global service model with Eaton’s existing products and scale will provide enhanced value to customers,” said Paulo Ruiz, Eaton chief executive officer. “In data centers particularly, our combined expertise in both power and liquid cooling from the chip to the grid will enable customers to manage increasing power demands more effectively.”

“We are looking forward to joining forces with Eaton. Our decades of expertise in liquid cooling, combined with Eaton’s premier positioning in intelligent power management, will deliver innovation in scaling and efficiency to address the high-power demand of AI data centers,” said Doug Britt, chief executive officer, Boyd Thermal. “Together, our teams will offer a winning value proposition for our customers.”

Introducing 800 VDC architectures

Eaton has been investing heavily both in hardware and business acquisitions to meet the demands and desire for additional AI data centers. Earlier this year, the company announced the delivery of a new reference architecture designed to accelerate the adoption of 800 VDC power needed for AI data centers.

Eaton’s hardware supports 800 VDC architectures to protect and optimize high-density computing infrastructure. (Eaton)

The new design features built-in support of the 800 VDC architecture that reportedly leverages Eaton’s innovative power management technology to protect and optimize high-density computing infrastructure.

According to Eaton, data center energy load growth being driven by increasingly demanding AI workloads is leading to an expansion beyond the limits of existing data center capabilities. These systems reportedly feature power distribution integrated with energy storage to handle the power demands of modern AI factories.

Eaton states that its new reference architecture is a key milestone in its collaboration with NVIDIA to accelerate 800 VDC power infrastructure. The design incorporates Eaton’s supercapacitors for fast-cycle backup power distribution through a busbar included in the ORV3 design as well as a hot aisle containment system to support busway and cable trays within the application. These components are then integrated with NVIDIA’s AI infrastructure.

“The introduction of 800 VDC architectures is a transformative advancement for data center innovation that will enable new possibilities in AI computing,” said JP Buzzell, vice president and data center chief architect at Eaton. “We’re proud to deepen our collaboration with NVIDIA with the introduction of this new reference design, a major step in our grid-to-chip strategy, as we help accelerate the transition to the AI factory of the future.”

Eaton has also collaborated with Siemens Energy to support rapid construction of modular data centers with integrated on-site power generation with a new edge-based solution to detect and proactively mitigate AI power bursting in data centers.

“Streamlined 800 VDC architectures enable AI infrastructure to meet rising workload demands while maximizing energy efficiency,” said Dion Harris, senior director, HPC, Cloud and AI Infrastructure at NVIDIA. “NVIDIA’s collaboration with innovators like Eaton is paving the way for high-density computing environments built for the AI industrial age.”

Constructive collaboration

In addition to their combined efforts with NVIDIA and Siemens, Eaton also announced a collaboration with Autodesk that aims to improve building lifecycle management. The collaboration reportedly combines Eaton’s energy management solutions with Autodesk Tandem to simplify complex energy system simulations and optimize electrical system performance across commercial buildings.

“Eaton and Autodesk are introducing new dynamic capabilities for the building and data center industries that will fundamentally change how electrical systems are designed, built and operated,” said Justin Carron, director of buildings and campuses at Eaton. “By combining actionable insights from energy management systems and reliability-centered maintenance programs with advanced visualization, simulation and modeling capabilities, we’re enabling a more intelligent and productive approach to building lifecycle management.”

“By bringing together Eaton’s energy expertise and Autodesk Tandem’s powerful data visualizations and integration capabilities, we’re giving building operators the tools to move from reactive to predictive strategies,” said Robert Bray, vice president and general manager of Autodesk Tandem. “It’s exciting to see how these capabilities are being applied to real-world operational challenges and helping shape a smarter, more digital future.”

Eaton states that its Brightlayer Digital Energy Twin capability powered by Autodesk Tandem gives designers, contractors and building operators new tools to deliver more resilient and energy-efficient buildings. Utilizing data and insights from Eaton’s Brightlayer energy software, the Brightlayer Digital Energy Twin enables building and facility managers to simulate, monitor and optimize energy use and building performance.

The digital energy twin technology mimics and predicts how a facility will operate under various conditions and provides analysis on the impact of potential infrastructure upgrades prior to implementation – helping enhance resilience, reduce costs and support sustainability goals.