Who makes rack manifolds for AI data centers
Rack manifolds (CDMs)
The manifold (sometimes called a CDM) that distributes coolant from the CDU supply line to each cold plate in a rack and collects the return flow, usually mounted vertically at the rear or side of the rack.
The manifold sits between the CDU's supply and return lines and the individual trays: it splits one large coolant flow into the branch lines that feed each cold plate's quick disconnects, then recombines the return flow for the trip back to the CDU. Because it touches every tray in the rack, the manifold's port count, spacing, and pressure rating are set by the rack's specific tray layout and GPU count, which ties the part to a reference design in the same way cold plates are. As racks pack more accelerators per U and run hotter, manifolds need more ports, higher flow rates, and tighter tolerances on the quick disconnect interfaces at each branch — a manifold designed for a lower-density generation does not simply carry over. Investors should watch how much of this part rack integrators build in-house for their own designs versus source from independent thermal vendors, and whether manifold makers also supply the CDU and cold plate to capture more of the loop.
Companies on this part (11)
| Company | Role | Ownership | Ticker | Price | 1d | Confidence | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Auras | manufacturer | public | 3324.TWO | 1360 TWD | +0.4% | inferred | |
| AVC | manufacturer | public | 3017.TW | 3145 TWD | -2.8% | inferred | |
| Delta Electronics | manufacturer | public | 2308.TW | 1560 TWD | -3.4% | inferred | |
| Foxconn (Hon Hai) | manufacturer | public | 2317.TW | 245 TWD | -1.6% | inferred | |
| Kaori | manufacturer | public | 8996.TW | 1560 TWD | -7.4% | inferred | |
| nVent | manufacturer | public | NVT | 125 USD | -2.4% | disclosed | · source |
| Parker Hannifin | manufacturer | public | PH | 881 USD | -1.4% | inferred | |
| Vertiv | manufacturer | public | VRT | 194 USD | -0.2% | inferred | |
| Boyd | manufacturer | private | disclosed | · source | |||
| CoolIT | manufacturer | private | disclosed | · source | |||
| Stäubli | manufacturer | private | inferred |
Who competes here
The same table read the other way: every company above competes for rack manifolds sockets. Confidence tags matter — an inferred placement is a lead, not a confirmed rivalry.
Seen in real machines
rack manifolds is named in 1 of the rack teardowns and supercomputer breakdowns on this site. Each line below is a piece of that machine. The companies shown are the ones named on that line, not necessarily the maker of this part.
Nearby parts
- Previous in layer: Direct-to-chip cold plates
- Next in layer: Quick disconnects
- Layer: Layer 5 — Liquid cooling (IT-side: chip to CDU)
From the blog
- Part of the day: Rack manifolds 2026-10-05
Latest feed
- Interview: TI sees liquid cooling shift to tray-level control in AI data centers — DigiTimes, 2026-10-23Texas Instruments stated that the trend in AI data centers is moving toward granular, tray-level thermal control rather than relying solely on centralized CDU management.
- [AI Infrastructure Insight] How AI infrastructure will be designed for the future — newsroom:sk-hynix, 2026-10-22The design of future AI infrastructure will require integrating advanced compute, cooling, and power elements from various parts of the supply chain.
- [AI Infrastructure Insight] How AI infrastructure will be designed for the future — newsroom:sk-hynix, 2026-10-22The article discusses future data center designs for AI infrastructure, touching on cooling, power, and overall planning.
- [AI Infrastructure Insight] How AI infrastructure will be designed for the future — newsroom:sk-hynix, 2026-10-22The article discusses anticipated design principles for future AI infrastructure, focusing on elements like advanced compute components and specialized cooling/interconnect features.
- [AI Infrastructure Insight] How AI infrastructure will be designed for the future — newsroom:sk-hynix, 2026-10-22Effective real-world AI application requires improvements across faster compute, wider memory bandwidth, higher-performance networking, better storage, and more stable power infrastructure.
- Nvidia launches DSX POD, claims the Vera-Rubin reference architecture will make AI data centers more water and energy efficient — Data Center Dynamics, 2026-10-21Nvidia announced the DSX POD, claiming the Vera-Rubin reference architecture will improve the water and energy efficiency of AI data centers.
- xMems solid-state cooling chips for data centers and Edge devices go into production — Data Center Dynamics, 2026-10-20xMems has started manufacturing solid-state cooling chips designed for data centers and edge devices.
- Global Tek's new Thailand plant enters trial production in 3Q26, targeting AI liquid cooling and aerospace opportunities — DigiTimes, 2026-10-20Global Tek Industrial opened its large Thai facility, which will expand production to include components for AI liquid cooling alongside its existing aerospace and automotive work.
- iBase Solution targets AI data center EPC contracts with modular liquid cooling, energy storage expertise — DigiTimes, 2026-10-19iBase Solution is aiming for engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts for AI data centers by offering expertise in modular liquid cooling and energy storage.
- Warm-water ready — Data Center Dynamics, 2026-10-15The report compares the performance and efficiency of two-phase versus single-phase direct-to-chip cooling solutions specifically on NVIDIA B200 server hardware.
Questions about rack manifolds
- What are rack manifolds?
- The manifold (sometimes called a CDM) that distributes coolant from the CDU supply line to each cold plate in a rack and collects the return flow, usually mounted vertically at the rear or side of the rack.
- Which companies make rack manifolds for AI data centers?
- This catalog lists 11 companies on Rack manifolds, 8 of them with listed equity: Auras, AVC, Delta Electronics, Foxconn (Hon Hai), Kaori, nVent, Parker Hannifin, Vertiv, Boyd, CoolIT, and 1 more.
- How reliable are these rack manifolds supplier placements?
- The 11 placements on this part break down as 3 disclosed, 8 inferred. "disclosed" means the company or a filing says so; "reported" comes from trade press or a reference-design list; "inferred" is a taxonomy lead with no citation yet.
Sources: placements without a source URL come from the taxonomy seed and are tagged accordingly. How this data is built.· Markdown · JSON