KKR eyes multibillion-dollar sale of CoolIT Systems, FT reports

March 8 (Reuters) – ‌U.S. private equity firm KKR is working with advisers on ​a sale of data center ⁠cooling company CoolIT Systems for a ​price tag potentially exceeding $3 billion, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the ​matter. 

A potential ​sale of CoolIT was in the preliminary stage and there ​were no guarantees that it would result ⁠in a transaction, the report said, ​adding that multiple buyers had been earmarked as potential bidders. 

CoolIT declined to ‌comment. KKR did not respond ‌to ​a request for comment. Reuters could not immediately verify the report. 

High-powered AI and ​cloud servers crunching data need huge amounts ​of power and give off intense heat that traditional air cooling systems are often unable to cool properly.

The global appetite for data centers has ‌sparked a wave of dealmaking across ​the industry as companies race to build capacity ​to meet the surge in power and cooling needs.

CoolIT specializes in designing, developing ​and ⁠manufacturing liquid cooling technologies ​for AI and computing systems, according to its website. It was acquired by KKR in 2023. 

(Reporting by ‌Anusha Shah in Bengaluru; Editing by Louise Heavens and Mark Porter)