U.S. Multi Industry & Electrical Equipment – Data Center Chillers: Channel checks on lead times, service, existential risk, and company-specific feedback (n = 5)

We spoke to five procurement leaders across hyperscalers, neoclouds and colocation operators to understand chiller demand, OEM positioning, servicing dynamics and the longer-term risk to chillers in next-generation AI data center architectures. Chiller demand remains robust while supply remains tight: experts cited lead times of up to roughly 12 to 18 months, generally increasing over the past 1-1.5 years, with the bottleneck extending beyond OEM capacity into key subcomponents such as fans, compressors and controls alongside customization and engineering requirements. On our expert scorecard, JCI ranked highest among the three large HVAC OEMs, followed by Carrier and Trane. JCI received particularly favorable feedback on product and service capabilities, including its extensive field service network; Carrier screened well on service although functionality and delivery feedback was more mixed; Trane product functionality and quality remained solid but experts were less positive on cost