Daikin Debuts R-32 NEXIO Rooftops and Low-GWP Data-Center Chillers at AHR 2026

Daikin used AHR Expo 2026 on January 28 to roll out R-32 light-commercial rooftops and low-GWP chillers pitched squarely at California's data-center buildout. Daikin Comfort Technologies launched the NEXIO MAX three-tier inverter light-commercial rooftop line, the HERO cloud-connected VRV platform, and a refreshed residential lineup. Daikin Applied introduced the Magnitude WME-C Quad Chiller, a 2,000-3,000 ton water-cooled centrifugal available on R-513A, R-515B, or R-1233zd(E), and the Pathfinder AWV-C air-cooled chiller on R-515B.

If that sounds like a lot of SKUs for one booth, it was.

Why the AI Data-Center Angle Matters

The chiller announcements are the real story. California utilities have been warning for two years about hyperscale cooling demand tied to AI compute buildout, and every major chiller OEM is now fighting for those specs. Low-GWP alternatives to R-134a — R-513A, R-515B, and R-1233zd(E) — are the refrigerants of choice for the next generation of centrifugal and screw machines going into those projects. A 2,000-3,000 ton box that gives owners a choice across three low-GWP options checks every procurement box, efficiency, redundancy, refrigerant compliance.

Pathfinder AWV-C covers the smaller range, typically 400-800 tons air-cooled, and fits campus-scale deployments and smaller edge data-center builds. Together the two product lines give Daikin Applied a credible answer in almost every cooling tonnage category an owner might spec.

What Contractors Should Take Away

For California mechanical contractors bidding tenant-fit and campus-expansion work, the practical implications are straightforward. R-515B is arriving in volume. Service documentation, recovery procedures, and tech training on the new refrigerant need to be in place before the first units land on site, and service-team lead time for training is the constraint most often missed.

On the light-commercial side, NEXIO MAX's three-tier inverter architecture lets a single model family cover a wider capacity range than the outgoing platform, which simplifies replacement-in-kind bids on big-box retail and school-district packages. R-32 on the rooftop line keeps Daikin aligned with the A2L direction most of the industry is heading.

For context on the broader refrigerant picture, see our 2026 EPA refrigerant transition update and our look at California's REFRESH refrigerant recovery pilot.

Expect initial NEXIO MAX deliveries to start shipping in Q2 and the Magnitude WME-C Quad to ramp toward the end of the year.