Schneider Electric
SU · Euronext ParisWhile rivals sell the parts for a data center, Schneider Electric wants to sell the whole lifecycle — the blueprint, the hardware, and the software that runs it afterward.
Who they are
Schneider Electric traces its roots to an ironworks founded by the Schneider brothers in 1836, and has spent the two centuries since transforming into one of the world's largest energy management and industrial automation companies. Headquartered in Rueil-Malmaison outside Paris, it's a fixture of France's CAC 40 index and, under CEO Olivier Blum, has increasingly positioned itself around the AI data center buildout as a core growth driver rather than a side opportunity.
What they do
Rather than selling switchgear or cooling units as separate line items, Schneider markets what it calls "full-lifecycle" data center solutions: a digital-twin design partnership with Nvidia and ETAP for planning a facility before it's built, liquid and air cooling hardware through its Motivair subsidiary, the EcoStruxure platform for managing power and building systems once the site is running, and AVEVA software for day-to-day operations. In June 2026, Schneider announced a strategic collaboration with Foxconn (Hon Hai Technology Group) specifically to accelerate deployment of next-generation AI data centers.
How Schneider Electric makes money
The company posted record first-quarter 2026 revenue of €11.4 billion, up 11.2% organically, with its energy management segment — the part that sells equipment and services into data centers — up nearly 13% year over year. North America energy management revenue specifically grew 15.9%, underscoring the region's lead in data center construction. Schneider has also set a 2028 outlook of €48.6 billion in revenue and €6.7 billion in earnings.
The bigger trend
Blum has framed the AI boom and rising geopolitical tension as accelerating the same underlying driver: electrification. That framing pushes customers to spend on AI capacity and energy security or sovereignty at the same time, rather than treating them as separate budgets. But the tailwind isn't uniform — Schneider's revenue in the Middle East and Africa actually declined due to regional geopolitical and macroeconomic tensions, a reminder that "AI data center demand" doesn't rise everywhere a company like Schneider operates at the same pace.
Whether the Foxconn collaboration scales into meaningful revenue rather than staying at the announcement stage; progress against Schneider's 2028 outlook of €48.6 billion revenue; and whether the business mix keeps shifting toward higher-margin software and systems rather than standalone hardware sales.
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Frequently asked questions
French. Schneider Electric is headquartered in Rueil-Malmaison, near Paris, and its primary listing trades on Euronext Paris under the ticker SU as part of the CAC 40 index. US investors typically access the stock through an over-the-counter ADR, which carries different liquidity than the Paris listing.
EcoStruxure is Schneider Electric's software platform that connects hardware, such as switchgear, transformers, and protection relays, with cloud-based analytics, letting customers monitor and control power flows across factories, buildings, and data centers from one system.
Motivair brought liquid and air cooling hardware into Schneider's portfolio, letting the company pair physical cooling equipment with its existing EcoStruxure software and AVEVA operational tools as part of a single full-lifecycle data center offering.
This page describes public value-chain positioning for informational purposes only. It is not investment advice, and inclusion here is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Figures reflect public reporting as of mid-2026 and may have changed since.