Artificial intelligence may be grabbing headlines for what it can do, but behind every AI model, chatbot, and intelligent application lies an increasingly complex digital infrastructure that must be built, powered, and cooled.
That shift was at the center of this year’s Vertiv Asia Partner Summit 2026, where more than 300 channel and distribution partners from Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, Australia, and New Zealand gathered in Johor, Malaysia to discuss how the rapid rise of AI is reshaping data centers — and the businesses that support them.
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the four-day summit was held at The Westin Desaru Coast under the theme “Metamorph,” reflecting the transformation taking place across the digital infrastructure industry as organizations accelerate investments in artificial intelligence, high-performance computing (HPC), edge computing, and modern data centers.
Marking its 10th year, the Vertiv Asia Partner Summit brought together regional partners to drive AI-era collaboration and innovation.
Rather than focusing solely on new products, the event centered on preparing partners for the next wave of AI-driven demand.
AI is changing how data centers are built
As AI workloads become larger and more compute-intensive, traditional data center designs are no longer enough.
The growing demand for graphics processing units (GPUs), AI clusters, and high-density computing is driving the need for more sophisticated cooling systems, resilient power infrastructure, and scalable facilities capable of supporting next-generation applications.
Throughout the summit, Vertiv executives outlined how these changing requirements are creating new business opportunities for channel partners while also requiring them to rethink how digital infrastructure is designed, deployed, and managed.
Sessions explored developments in enterprise AI, sovereign AI deployments, liquid cooling, integrated modular infrastructure, AI-ready power distribution, intelligent infrastructure management, and next-generation thermal technologies.
Participants also attended executive keynotes, technical workshops, and solution-focused discussions aimed at helping partners better support customers preparing for AI adoption.
Beyond servers: Preparing for the next generation of computing
The summit also examined technologies expected to play a larger role as AI continues to evolve.
Among the topics discussed were edge computing, on-premise AI deployments, and sovereign AI initiatives, alongside reference designs intended to simplify both new and retrofit data center projects.
Specialized breakout sessions covered coolant distribution units, secondary fluid networks, scalable integrated systems, chiller technologies, in-rack infrastructure for high-density computing, intelligent monitoring platforms, and other infrastructure designed to meet rising power and cooling requirements.
These discussions reflected a broader industry trend: AI is no longer just about software. It increasingly depends on physical infrastructure capable of supporting massive computing workloads efficiently and reliably.
Partners remain central to AI expansion
AWS Distribution’s modern testing facility simplifies customer testing of purchased Vertiv power and thermal management equipment nationwide.
Daniel Sim, Senior Director for AI Ecosystem Alliances and Channel Partners at Vertiv Asia, said collaboration remains critical as organizations navigate this transition.
“Metamorph is more than a summit theme; it reflects how our industry must evolve with purpose as AI and high-performance computing reshape customer expectations across Asia. Our partners are critical to this transformation, bringing deep market insight, customer trust, and execution expertise.”
He added that Vertiv remains committed to equipping partners with the technologies, expertise, and collaboration needed to unlock new opportunities and deliver meaningful business outcomes.
A closer look at Vertiv’s manufacturing capabilities
Beyond conference sessions, attendees visited Vertiv’s newly opened Johor manufacturing facility, giving partners an inside look at how the company supports customers across the region.
The factory showcases Vertiv’s regional manufacturing capabilities, designed to deliver digital infrastructure solutions with greater speed, scale, and operational efficiency as demand for AI-ready facilities continues to grow.
Recognizing Asia’s top-performing partners
Representatives from NVIDIA receive the 2025 Strategic Partnership Award, recognizing the company’s contributions to Vertiv’s partner ecosystem across Asia.
One of the summit’s highlights was the Partner Recognition Awards, which honored organizations demonstrating outstanding performance in sales, innovation, market development, customer impact, and strategic collaboration.
Among the recipients of the 2025 Strategic Partnership Awards were NVIDIA and Dell Technologies, recognizing their contributions to Vertiv’s regional ecosystem.
Leadership awards were also presented to channel partners across Asia-Pacific, including:
- Orion Computers Pty Ltd (Australia) – 2024 Summit Leadership Award for Highest Sales Achievement (Distribution)
- OGX Networks Sdn Bhd (Malaysia) – 2025 Summit Leadership Award for Highest Sales Growth (Distribution)
- Tech Data Distribution (Singapore) Pte Ltd – 2025 Summit Leadership Award for Highest Sales and Growth Achievement (Distribution)
- EON Co., Ltd (Korea) – 2025 Summit Leadership Award for Highest Sales Achievement (Partner)
- Opencom JSC (Vietnam) – 2025 Summit Leadership Award for Highest Sales Growth (Partner)
- IT Usaha Engineering Sdn Bhd (Malaysia) – 2025 Summit Leadership Award for Highest Sales and Growth Achievement (Partner)
Vertiv also recognized partners across additional categories, including innovation, emerging partner growth, and industry-specific achievements.
Preparing for what’s next
While AI often dominates conversations because of the software applications it enables, the discussions at Vertiv Asia Partner Summit 2026 underscored a less visible reality: every AI breakthrough depends on the infrastructure behind it.
As computing workloads continue to grow, data centers will need smarter power management, more advanced cooling technologies, modular designs, and closer collaboration across the technology ecosystem.
For Vertiv and its partner network, the challenge is no longer simply keeping pace with AI — but helping build the infrastructure that will support its next phase of growth.
