Thermal energy optimisation and waste heat recovery of high energy demand IT rooms in buildings or small edge data centres
Thermal energy optimisation and waste heat recovery of high energy demand IT rooms in buildings or small edge data centres supports teams demonstrating heat reuse to improve energy and resource efficiency.
Funder: European Commission
Due Dates: May 5, 2027 (Opening) | September 15, 2027 (Submission deadline)
Funding Amounts: €5.25 million expected EU contribution per project; €15.75 million total topic budget for 3 expected grants
Summary: Supports demonstrations of cost-effective thermal management and waste heat recovery in existing IT rooms and small edge data centres.
Key Information: Demonstrators must cover both cold and warm climates in EU Member States or Horizon Europe Associated Countries.
Description
This European Commission Horizon Europe Innovation Action supports holistic, cost-effective thermal management and waste heat reuse in existing IT rooms in buildings and small edge data centres. It targets facilities of 100–500 kW not covered by the recast Energy Efficiency Directive, addressing growing ICT energy demand while advancing climate neutrality and resource efficiency.
Projects should integrate heat recovery with building thermal performance, building automation and control systems, and existing building management systems. Heat storage and heat upgrading are optional. Alongside demonstrations, projects must develop business cases for using recovered heat within buildings, local district heating and cooling networks, or nearby sites. Expected outcomes include designs that productively use waste heat and improved open access to performance data, best practices, and knowledge for IT infrastructure owners, operators, and the IT and building sectors.
