Data center heat recovery partnership: HPE and Danfoss

HPE and Danfoss Launch Partnership for Data Center Heat Recovery

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) and Danfoss have announced a groundbreaking collaboration aimed at reducing energy consumption in data centers. This partnership, known as HPE IT Sustainability Services - Data Center Heat Recovery, introduces a standardized heat recovery module designed to help companies manage and utilize excess heat, paving the way for more sustainable IT facilities.

The Growing Energy Demand of AI Technologies

The rapid integration of AI technologies into organizations and enterprises is expected to lead to a dramatic increase in energy demand and the use of AI-optimized IT infrastructure. According to the International Energy Agency, the AI industry is projected to grow exponentially by 2026, consuming at least ten times the electricity it did in 2023. To address these challenges, IT leaders and data center operators are taking measures to reduce energy consumption, such as implementing modern energy-efficient features and improved cooling systems.

Excess Heat: A Reliable Source of Clean Energy

In the European Union alone, excess heat is estimated to account for 2,860 TWh/year, nearly matching the entire energy demand for heating and hot water in residential and service buildings. The heat stream from data centers is uninterrupted, making it a highly reliable source of clean energy. The new energy-efficient data center solution from HPE and Danfoss offers a solution to these issues.

Advantages and Agility of Modularity

HPE's Modular Data Center (MDC) utilizes direct liquid cooling (DLC) technologies to increase energy efficiency by more than 20 percent. This optimizes energy generation and distribution, leading to significant energy savings. The compact design minimizes energy losses by shortening the path for energy and coolant transport and maximizing the temperature differential at the inlet and outlet, promoting the absorption of excess heat.

Moreover, the mobility of the MDC and the absence of heavy industrial materials eliminate the need for costly conventional building materials and significantly reduce time-to-market. Deployment can be three times faster than traditional data centers, reducing the timeline from 18 months to just 6 months. The reduced footprint and flexibility of MDCs allow for placement near data generation sites, reducing energy strain and bottlenecks associated with complex network solutions and data transfer, while also supporting improved data management and security.

Transformative Collaboration

"At HPE, we believe in the power of collaboration to create transformative solutions," said Sue Preston, Vice President & General Manager, WW Advisory & Professional Services & Managed Services, HPE. "Our partnership with Danfoss brings together HPE's innovative modular data center with Danfoss's groundbreaking heat recovery technology. Together, we are not just adding value; we are multiplying it. By harnessing typically unused waste heat and turning waste into value, we demonstrate that the future of energy use is efficient, intelligent, and, most importantly, achievable now."

Unprecedented Efficiency

With an unprecedented density, HPE's modular data centers offer an impressive Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.1, compared to a PUE of 1.3 to 1.4 typically associated with the best modern designs of traditional brick-and-mortar data centers. The HPE modular data center can handle the most power-intensive designs, such as the HPE Cray Supercomputing EX4000. It is the ideal design for mission-critical and compute-intensive workloads like supercomputing and generative AI, enabling scientists, universities, and enterprises to achieve faster results.

Innovation in Decarbonization

To harness excess heat—one of the largest untapped energy sources and the greatest potential for data centers across Europe—HPE has partnered with Danfoss for decarbonization. The strategic partnership leverages Danfoss's extensive portfolio of energy-efficient solutions to drive innovation, support decarbonization, and create the blueprint for the next generation of sustainable modular data centers.

HPE IT Sustainability Services - Data Center Heat Recovery is inspired by the heat recovery technology that Danfoss already employs at its headquarters in Denmark. Here, heat from the on-site Danfoss data center is recovered, amplified by a heat pump, and reused for space heating in surrounding buildings. The heat can also be fed into the local district heating network, providing residents with a renewable heat source. Heat reuse is a key component of Danfoss's decarbonization strategy, which helped Danfoss achieve carbon neutrality in 2022 through the energy system of its 250,000 m2 campus in Nordborg.

Scalable Modular Solutions

The new scalable modular data center offering utilizes Danfoss technologies, including Turbocor® compressors for heat pumps and chillers, heat exchangers, heat recovery modules, drives, and mounted pumps. These technologies enable data centers to be cooled up to 30% more efficiently while recovering and reusing excess heat. It is a modular solution with components that work seamlessly together and includes two tech stack options with a heat recovery system, including a hydronic heat recovery heat exchanger and a water-to-water heat pump that recovers heat from an air-cooled modular edge-to-cloud data center and a potential liquid-cooled modular HPC data center in the second phase.

Reduce, Reuse, Resource

As part of its holistic "Reduce, Reuse, Resource" approach, Danfoss is also collaborating with HPE to retire its decommissioned IT assets through HPE Asset Upcycling Services. This circular economy solution enables the refurbishment and reuse of technologies while recovering the economic value of these assets.

About Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (NYSE: HPE) is the global edge-to-cloud company that helps enterprises accelerate outcomes by unlocking value from all their data, everywhere. Built on decades of reimagining and innovating the way people live and work, HPE delivers unique, open, and intelligent technology solutions as a service. With offerings spanning Cloud Services, Compute, High Performance Computing & AI, Intelligent Edge, Software, and Storage, HPE provides a consistent experience across all clouds and edges, helping customers develop new business models, engage in new ways, and increase operational performance.

About Danfoss

Danfoss develops solutions that increase machine productivity, reduce emissions, lower energy consumption, and enable electrification. Our solutions are used in areas such as refrigeration, air conditioning, heating, power conversion, motor control, industrial machinery, automotive, marine, and off- and on-highway equipment. We also offer solutions for renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, and energy infrastructure for cities. Our innovative engineering dates back to 1933. Danfoss is family- and foundation-owned, employs more than 42,000 people, and serves customers in more than 100 countries with 95 factories worldwide.

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HPE and Danfoss have initiated a collaboration to harness waste heat from data centers. This innovative approach aims to improve energy efficiency and sustainability in data center operations. By reusing the heat generated, they can significantly reduce the carbon footprint and operational costs. This partnership is a step forward in the quest for greener technology solutions.

In related news, the liquid-cooled data center solutions by Supermicro offer another effective way to manage heat in data centers. These solutions use liquid cooling to maintain optimal temperatures, enhancing performance and energy efficiency. The integration of such technologies aligns with the ongoing efforts to create more sustainable data centers.

Moreover, advancements in quantum internet integration with fiber optics are paving the way for faster and more secure data transmission. This breakthrough technology can complement the efforts of HPE and Danfoss by ensuring that data centers not only manage heat efficiently but also operate at peak performance levels. The integration of quantum internet could revolutionize data center operations.

On another note, the economic feasibility of air taxi services is being explored to address urban mobility challenges. While not directly related to data centers, the innovative spirit behind these projects shares a common goal of leveraging technology for a more sustainable future. Both initiatives highlight the importance of technological advancements in creating efficient and eco-friendly solutions.