ABB Develops Cooling Motors for AI Data Centres
The announced TFM motors target growing data centre cooling loads, with no published performance figures or launch date yet.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Data Centers
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ABB has expanded its partnership with Electric Torque Machines, a subsidiary of Graco Inc., to develop and commercialise data centre cooling motors based on ETM's patented Transverse Flux Motor (TFM) technology. The motors will be marketed under the ABB brand. The development is announced rather than shipped, and no availability date was given.
Why it matters
Demand for data centre infrastructure is rising alongside artificial intelligence, and higher computing loads are increasing the need for cooling systems that run continuously while managing energy use. Global data centre electricity demand rose 17% in 2025, and demand from AI-focused facilities grew 50%, putting pressure on the cooling hardware that supports them.
The TFM motor is described as delivering high torque at low speeds, a property the companies cite for cooling applications. The source does not provide measured efficiency, torque or power figures for the motors.
The players
ABB
A Swiss-Swedish industrial technology group whose ABB Motion division, with more than 23,000 employees across 100 countries, builds motors, variable speed drives and liquid cooling solutions.
Electric Torque Machines
A wholly owned business of Graco Inc. that holds the patented Transverse Flux Motor technology used in the new cooling motors.
Graco Inc.
A U.S. fluid-handling equipment manufacturer that wholly owns Electric Torque Machines.
The details
The TFM motor uses a direct-drive architecture, meaning it connects straight to the load without the gears, belts or other mechanical transmission parts that conventional motors often rely on. Transverse Flux Motor (TFM) design routes magnetic flux across the motor rather than along its axis, a layout the source credits with high torque at low speeds. Fewer transmission components can mean fewer parts that wear out, though the source does not quantify any reliability gain. The motors will complement ABB's existing high-efficiency motors, variable speed drives and liquid cooling solutions.
Timeline
2025: Global data centre electricity demand increased 17%.
- 2026-11-02
ABB and Electric Torque Machines announced the expanded partnership.
The Tech Race
ABB is pairing a patented motor design with its own high-efficiency product line to target the cooling demand created by AI-driven data centre growth. The move positions ABB against other industrial motor and cooling suppliers competing for the same infrastructure build-out, though the source names no specific competitor.
The motors are intended for large-scale data centre cooling and do not yet have a published availability date or pricing. Organisations operating data centres may eventually benefit from the high-torque, direct-drive design, but no shipping timeline has been announced.
The takeaway
Cooling is becoming a central constraint on AI infrastructure, and the ABB and Electric Torque Machines partnership shows suppliers investing in motor designs for that load. Watch for announced performance data, prototype timelines or a commercial launch date for the ABB-branded TFM motors, which the source does not yet provide.
Further reading
For background on the infrastructure behind this, see our coverage of Data Centers.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Themachinemaker.
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