Vertiv backs ANZ partners as AI infrastructure demand grows

Vertiv outlined its regional channel strategy for AI infrastructure at its Asia Partner Summit and recognised several Australian and New Zealand partners with awards.

The event brought together more than 300 channel and distribution partners from across Asia, including Australia and New Zealand, as demand rises for the power and cooling systems needed to support denser AI workloads in data centres.

At the four-day summit in Malaysia, Vertiv focused on how partners can help customers prepare for broader AI deployment across enterprise, sovereign and on-premise environments. Sessions covered liquid cooling, power distribution, thermal management, modular systems and monitoring tools for higher-density computing.

For Australia and New Zealand, the message centred on shifting customer demand. Organisations are moving from AI trials to deployment, increasing pressure on digital infrastructure and changing the role of resellers, distributors and service partners.

"Enterprise AI is rapidly moving from experimentation to deployment across Australia and New Zealand. Success will depend on the ability to deliver resilient, scalable, and AI-ready infrastructure. Our partners play a critical role in helping customers design, deploy, and operate these environments, and the Asia Partner Summit strengthens the expertise and collaboration needed to accelerate Enterprise AI adoption across ANZ," said LuLu Shiraz, Senior Director, Sales and Country Head, Vertiv ANZ.

Partner awards

Australian organisations were among those recognised in the summit's partner awards program. Orion Computers received the 2025 Summit Leadership Award for Highest Sales Achievement, Distribution; Air Water Power received the 2025 Rising Star Award; and Total Data Centre Services received the 2025 Vertical Achievement Award for Mining.

The broader awards program also recognised strategic partnerships with NVIDIA and Dell Technologies. The awards reflected sales performance, market development, technical leadership and work in specific industry sectors.

Infrastructure focus

The summit agenda reflected a broader shift in the data centre market as AI systems require greater computing density and more intensive cooling. Vertiv's workshops examined reference designs for new and retrofit data centre projects, coolant distribution units, secondary fluid networks, in-rack infrastructure and chiller systems.

These issues are becoming more prominent for operators and enterprise users as they assess whether existing facilities can support AI workloads without major disruption. Partners are increasingly expected to advise on design, deployment and operations rather than simply supply hardware.

Attendees also visited Vertiv's manufacturing site in Johor, which recently opened to support regional demand for AI and digital infrastructure products. The visit formed part of the company's effort to show how its regional supply chain is positioned to serve customers across Asia.

For channel firms in Australia and New Zealand, the focus on cooling and power points to where spending may grow as organisations move beyond software experimentation and begin building physical environments for AI use. That includes retrofitting existing data centres as well as planning new sites.

Vertiv positioned its partner network as central to that process, particularly in markets where enterprise customers need local support to adapt existing infrastructure. Sessions also covered edge environments as well as larger facilities, suggesting AI-related demand will extend beyond hyperscale operators.

Recognition for the Australian award winners also highlighted the spread of AI-related infrastructure work into specialist segments such as mining, where data centre requirements can differ from mainstream enterprise deployments. Total Data Centre Services' award underlined that sector-specific demand is becoming part of the broader channel opportunity.

The summit marked the 10th year of the regional partner event, which Vertiv used to align partners on market priorities and technology areas tied to AI adoption. Over that period, the channel conversation has shifted from conventional backup power and thermal systems to the more complex requirements of high-density computing.

More recently, liquid cooling has moved from a niche topic to a practical issue for vendors, service providers and end users planning AI systems. Vertiv's decision to place it at the centre of technical discussions suggests it expects that transition to shape purchasing and project work across the region.