Nine Labs

What Nine Labs does

Nine Labs (주식회사 나인랩스, NINE LABS Co., Ltd.) is a South Korean private hardware company founded in 2019 that designs and manufactures Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) systems for AI data centers and AI semiconductor manufacturers. Its product portfolio comprises four integrated hardware components: cold plates that make direct thermal contact with AI chips, UQD quick connectors and manifolds for coolant distribution, liquid-cooling-compatible server racks, and Coolant Distribution Units (CDU). The company emphasizes 100% customized cold plate designs matched to specific customer chip sets and heat generation patterns, distinguishing it from off-the-shelf cooling vendors. Performance claims cited on the company's materials include Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.2 or below, OPEX cooling cost reductions of approximately 50%, and roughly 90% cooling cost efficiency improvement versus conventional air cooling. Nine Labs has filed 22 overseas trademark and patent applications covering its D2C cooling technology.

The company sells through a direct enterprise sales motion, capturing leads via a website inquiry form and engaging in customized design discussions with technical buyers. Its primary customer segments are AI data center operators and AI semiconductor manufacturers; LG Electronics is publicly named as a data center cooling R&D partner, and one additional data center customer is referenced without naming. Headquarters are located in the Gumi National Industrial Complex in Gyeongsangbuk-do, with a Seoul office in the Gwanghwamun area. The company operates within a 16-partner ecosystem spanning domestic and international AI infrastructure, data center, and technology firms, and has extended its portfolio beyond core DLC into AI & Security Data Servers and Factory Automation Facilities.

In late 2025 / early 2026, Nine Labs raised approximately 5 billion KRW (~$3.5 million USD) from ShinYoung Securities, T Investment, and Kiwoom Investment to accelerate AI data center D2C cooling solution development and business expansion. In 2026-05, the company established an R&D partnership with LG Electronics covering chillers and CDU/FWU systems, alongside stated targets to triple data-center cooling R&D headcount and triple data-center business year-over-year, with a 1 trillion KRW long-term sales objective.

Name

Nine Labs

Legal name

NINE LABS Co., Ltd. (주식회사 나인랩스)

Website

https://ninelabs.co.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Nine Labs is a South Korean hardware company that designs and manufactures customized Direct Liquid Cooling systems—including cold plates, UQD connectors, manifolds, server racks, and CDUs—for AI data center operators and AI semiconductor manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Data Center Liquid Cooling Hardware

NAICS

Air-Conditioning and Warm Air Heating Equipment and Commercial and Industrial Refrigeration Equipment Manufacturing (333415)

SIC

Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip (3585)

akta.pro primary industry

AI Datacenter Power, Cooling & Racks (liquid cooling, power delivery) (HDAAAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cooling Systems & Thermal Management (CRAC/CRAH, Chillers, Liquid Cooling) (HDABAKAD)

Keywords

• Direct liquid cooling
• Data center cooling
• AI server cooling
• Cold plate technology
• Coolant Distribution Units

Headquarters

HQ city

Daegu

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Hardware Sales - Liquid Cooling Systems: Sale of core liquid cooling hardware components including cold plates, UQD/connectors, manifolds, server racks, and CDU (Coolant Distribution Units). Products are customized per customer chip specifications and data center requirements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Nine Labs designs and manufactures Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) / Direct-to-Chip (D2C) hardware systems for AI data centers and semiconductor customers. Its product line includes custom cold plates, UQD quick connectors and manifolds, liquid-cooled server racks, and Coolant Distribution Units (CDU), with 100% customized designs matched to specific AI chip heat generation patterns. The company also supplies AI enterprise security servers and factory automation equipment as part of its AI hardware ecosystem.

Product overview

Nine Labs offers a comprehensive Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) platform designed specifically for AI data centers. The core offering centers on a complete liquid cooling system comprising four key hardware components: Cold Plate (direct-contact heat dissipation for AI chips), UQD & Manifold (quick connectors for coolant distribution), Server Rack (accommodating liquid cooling infrastructure), and CDU/Cooling Distribution Unit (managing coolant flow). These components work together as an integrated platform to address the heat management challenge in high-performance AI computing, achieving up to 90% efficiency improvement over traditional air cooling. Complementing the cooling platform, Nine Labs also provides AI & Security Data Servers and Factory Automation Facilities as part of a broader AI hardware ecosystem. The company supports AI semiconductor-customized 100% optimized designs with 22 overseas trademark and patent applications filed.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cold Plate (콜드플레이트) A direct-contact liquid cooling component that mounts on AI chips and processors to absorb and dissipate heat. Custom-designed to match specific AI semiconductor specifications and heat generation patterns.
• UQD & Manifold (퀵 커넥터 / 매니폴드) Quick-disconnect connectors and manifold components that distribute coolant efficiently across server rack liquid cooling systems, enabling rapid connection and flow management.
• Server Rack (서버랙) Specialized server rack infrastructure engineered to integrate cold plate, manifold, and CDU components for AI data center deployments.
• CDU (냉각수 분배 장치 / Cooling Distribution Unit) Cooling Distribution Unit that manages and circulates coolant throughout the data center liquid cooling loop, maintaining optimal temperature regulation for AI server infrastructure.
• Direct Liquid Cooling (DLC) System Complete Direct Liquid Cooling (D2C) solution for AI data centers, integrating all four core hardware components. Targets PUE of 1.2 or below, OPEX reduction of 50%, and up to 90% efficiency improvement versus conventional air cooling.
• AI & Security Data Server AI enterprise security server designed for data center deployment, part of Nine Labs' integrated hardware ecosystem for AI infrastructure.
• Factory Automation Facilities (자동화 설비) Automation equipment solutions that complement Nine Labs' AI infrastructure ecosystem, completing the hardware portfolio for AI manufacturing deployments.

Quantifiable outcome

• OPEX cooling cost reduction of 50%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• 16개 파트너 기업 (16 Partner Companies)coreOthersPartnership ecosystem includes 16 domestic and international partner companies across AI infrastructure, data center, and technology sectors. Partners are displayed in partner section of website.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Asetek: Asetek designs and sells direct-to-chip liquid cooling solutions for data centers, gaming, and workstations. Its data center business competes head-to-head with Nine Labs in cold plates and rack-level D2C systems.
• CoolIT Systems: CoolIT Systems is a leading direct liquid cooling (D2C) specialist for AI and high-performance computing, making cold plates, CDUs, and manifolds — a near-identical product portfolio to Nine Labs targeting the same hyperscaler and enterprise customers.
• Submer: Submer offers direct liquid cooling and immersion cooling platforms for AI and HPC datacenters, including CDUs and integration services, making it a directly comparable DLC platform peer.
• Iceotope Technologies: Iceotope provides precision liquid cooling solutions for AI and edge datacenters, combining D2C and chassis-level cooling. Targets the same AI datacenter buyer segment as Nine Labs.
• Boyd (Boyd Thermal): Boyd designs and manufactures cold plates and liquid cooling components used in AI datacenter and semiconductor thermal management, directly overlapping with Nine Labs' cold plate product line.

Broad incumbents

• Rittal: Rittal manufactures IT racks, enclosures, and datacenter cooling solutions including liquid cooling kits, competing with Nine Labs in liquid-cooled server racks and CDU integration.
• Schneider Electric: Schneider Electric offers datacenter infrastructure including cooling solutions, racks, and liquid cooling offerings as part of a much broader portfolio, overlapping with Nine Labs on CDU and integrated cooling systems.
• Trane Technologies: Trane Technologies is a major HVAC and thermal management provider serving commercial and datacenter cooling, including chillers used in liquid cooling loops — relevant as an upstream/adjacent incumbent to Nine Labs' CDU and chiller work.
• Vertiv Holdings: Vertiv is a global provider of critical digital infrastructure including precision cooling, power, and IT systems for datacenters, with a growing direct liquid cooling portfolio that competes with Nine Labs' platform.
• STULZ: STULZ is a specialist in precision air and liquid cooling for datacenters, with chillers and CDU offerings that overlap with Nine Labs' cooling distribution and chilled water systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=JA2JR9nP5Cw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Nine Labs