Armada and Johnson Controls start modular data-centre production in Dublin
Armada and Johnson Controls began continuous production at Galleon Forge Two, a 90,000 sq ft modular data-centre line in Dublin, and completed the first Dublin-built Leviathan unit, bound for Norway. Firm orders so far total just over 9 MW — the 500 MW figure is a capacity target, not demand.
The News
Armada and Johnson Controls announced on November 11 the start of continuous production at Galleon Forge Two, a 90,000 square foot modular data-centre line inside a Johnson Controls plant in Dublin, and the completion of the first Dublin-built Leviathan, a multi-megawatt modular data centre bound for Fossefall in Norway. Fossefall has placed an initial order for five Leviathan units totalling more than 9 megawatts, with all five due by the first quarter of 2027.
The headline number needs care. The companies say they are targeting at least 500 MW of Galleon Forge capacity in 2027 — more than fifty times the megawatts actually ordered so far. That 500 MW is a capacity target: how much production they aim to be able to run, not how much anyone has bought. Firm orders stand at just over 9 MW from Fossefall, plus a planned 11 MW from WinDC, an Australian operator, the only other customer named. A second line, Galleon Forge One in Gilbert, Arizona, is up to 400,000 sq ft and is not expected to start continuous production until early 2027.
The deal is also a marker for Johnson Controls, which joined Armada's May funding round that valued the private company at $2 billion. Johnson Controls makes the cooling and building systems that data centres run on; Armada builds the modular units. The Dublin line puts both inside a Johnson Controls plant, and the first unit off it is already shipping. The question now is whether the order book catches up with the factory.
The factory is running. The order book has to catch up.
Why It Matters
Modular data centres matter because speed is the bottleneck in the AI buildout. A traditional data centre takes years to build; a factory-built unit can be shipped and connected in months, and placed where power is available rather than where a building happens to stand. If Armada and Johnson Controls can run a production line the way a carmaker runs one, they turn data-centre capacity into a manufactured product — and that is a different business from construction.
The gap between the target and the orders is the real story. 500 MW of capacity against just over 9 MW of firm orders means the factories are being built ahead of demand, on the bet that customers will come. That bet can pay off handsomely if AI demand keeps growing — or leave expensive lines idle if it does not. The Fossefall order, five units by the first quarter of 2027, is the first proof point; WinDC's planned 11 MW is the second.
For Johnson Controls, the story is steadier. It is a listed industrial company selling into the data-centre boom through cooling and building systems, and this partnership gives it a manufacturing role in modular units too. Its shares do not depend on Armada's order book, but the Dublin line shows where its growth is coming from — and the Arizona line, more than four times the size, is the bigger bet, starting early next year.
Analyst's Take
Our call is Mixed. A production line running, a first unit shipped and a named customer with a deadline is real progress — and modular manufacturing is the right answer to a buildout constrained by construction speed. But the 500 MW target is not demand, and firm orders of just over 9 MW against factories sized for far more is a bet, not a backlog.
What to watch: whether Fossefall's five units arrive by the first quarter of 2027 as promised, and whether new customers sign beyond Fossefall and WinDC. If the order book grows toward the capacity, the Dublin line is the start of something large. If it does not, the factories will be the story instead.
Are you bullish or bearish on this story?
By The Numbers
FAQ
What is a modular data centre?
A modular data centre is built in a factory as finished units, then shipped to a site and connected up — instead of being constructed piece by piece on location. It is faster to deploy and can be placed where power is available.
What started in Dublin?
Continuous production began on November 11 at Galleon Forge Two, a 90,000 sq ft modular data-centre production line inside a Johnson Controls plant in Dublin. The first Dublin-built Leviathan — a multi-megawatt modular data centre — was completed and is bound for Fossefall, Norway.
How much has actually been ordered?
Fossefall has placed an initial order for five Leviathan units totalling more than 9 MW, with all five due by the first quarter of 2027. The only other customer named is WinDC, an Australian operator planning 11 MW.
What is the 500 MW figure?
The companies are targeting at least 500 MW of Galleon Forge capacity in 2027. That is a capacity target — how much they aim to be able to build — not orders. Firm orders stand at just over 9 MW, more than fifty times smaller.
What about the US line?
The Gilbert, Arizona line, Galleon Forge One, is up to 400,000 sq ft and is not expected to start continuous production until early 2027. Armada is private, valued at $2 billion in a May funding round Johnson Controls joined.
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Source: Johnson Controls; Armada (May 19, 2026 announcement, for the $2B valuation)