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Updated: April 2026
Rising energy demand, regulatory pressure and the AI boom — the challenges facing data centers call for smart cooling optimization. NEXAIRA.Systems from ebm-papst delivers the answer: minimized risk, maximum efficiency and energy savings of up to 50 percent.
Key takeaways
- Cooling consumes up to 30 percent of data center power — costs will grow from USD 19 billion to USD 36 billion worldwide by 2028.
- NEXAIRA.Systems cuts cooling energy consumption by up to 50 percent — the equivalent of 128 terawatt-hours globally by 2028.
- Digital twin: the AI-based Cooling Supply Optimizer simulates and controls the entire cooling system in real time.
- Proven in practice: a German data center operator saves 900 MWh of energy and 240 tonnes of CO2 per year.
- On-premise: fully automatic control via the existing BMS, with data staying local.
Data centers form the backbone of our digital infrastructure. With data consumption climbing in both business and private contexts, operators face mounting challenges — driven above all by the growing energy demand of AI workloads. Power consumption is outpacing infrastructure growth and is pushing energy availability to its limits. At the same time, operators must comply with stricter rules on energy efficiency and CO2 reduction. Cooling plays a pivotal role here because it accounts for up to 30 percent of a data center’s total energy consumption. Globally, cooling energy use is expected to rise from 136 to 257 TWh by 2028, with costs climbing from USD 19 billion to USD 36 billion.
Intelligent cooling system optimization
NEXAIRA.Systems from ebm-papst offers a comprehensive answer to these challenges. This AI-driven Cooling Supply Optimizer helps data center operators cut energy consumption, reduce operating costs and hit sustainability targets — all while maintaining system reliability. The solution optimizes the entire cooling loop through intelligent control and coordination of every cooling component to deliver peak performance. The result: overall cooling system energy consumption drops by up to 50 percent — which is equivalent to the output of up to 128 terawatt-hours worldwide by 2028, or the generating capacity of 22 nuclear power plants.
A digital twin for peak performance
At the heart of NEXAIRA.Systems sits the Cooling Supply Optimizer — an AI-based energy manager that delivers the required cooling performance at the lowest cost, without compromise on safety or reliability. It creates a digital twin of the HVAC system in the data center’s grey space (including pumps, chillers, cooling towers and dry coolers) to simulate, predict and calculate the most efficient setpoints in real time. It factors in variables such as weather forecasts and load projections and enables fully automatic control via the building management system (BMS).
This real-time control — reacting to demand and climate — reduces energy and water consumption in the grey space while ensuring safe, autonomous operation in the white space. The system also detects anomalies, enabling proactive maintenance, faster fault resolution and stronger ESG reporting with actionable data.
NEXAIRA.Systems from ebm-papst: AI-powered cooling optimization cuts energy consumption by up to 50 percent — without replacing hardware. (Source: ebm-papst)
Optimize cooling, minimize risk
NEXAIRA.Systems from ebm-papst optimizes the primary cooling loop in the grey space to maximize the efficiency of the secondary cooling loop in the white space. Using AI and a digital twin, it adjusts system setpoints in real time to operational demand and ambient conditions. The result: lower energy and water consumption, reduced operating costs and reliable performance.
NEXAIRA.Systems cuts total cooling system energy consumption by up to 50 percent — which by 2028 is equivalent to up to 128 terawatt-hours globally, or the generating capacity of 22 nuclear power plants.
Proven effectiveness in the field
Managing mission-critical cooling is one of the toughest challenges facing data centers. With growing demands for reliable, efficient rack cooling, a major data center operator in Germany was looking for a solution that would reduce grey space energy consumption while safeguarding the safety and reliability of its IT environment. With NEXAIRA.Systems, the operator optimized its cooling supply during live operation. Thanks to AI-driven control, digital twins and real-time data, the operator saved 900 MWh of energy and 240 tonnes of CO2 per year — with full operational reliability on the IT side.
Efficiency, sustainability and control
With NEXAIRA.Systems, operators gain full control over their cooling infrastructure: deep operational insight, real-time monitoring, proactive alerts and advanced simulation. The result is more stable, more efficient operation, lower operating costs and measurable ROI — all without compromising cooling performance.
You can find more information here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is NEXAIRA.Systems?
NEXAIRA.Systems is an AI-driven Cooling Supply Optimizer from ebm-papst. The system builds a digital twin of the entire cooling environment and optimizes setpoints in real time based on sensor data, weather forecasts and load projections.
How much energy can you save?
NEXAIRA.Systems reduces cooling energy consumption by up to 50 percent. One German data center operator saves 900 MWh of energy and 240 tonnes of CO2 per year.
Do existing cooling systems need to be replaced?
No. NEXAIRA.Systems sits on top of existing infrastructure and runs through the existing building management system (BMS). No hardware replacement is required.
Where is operational data stored?
Data stays local. NEXAIRA.Systems runs on-premise and does not require a cloud connection. Optional remote monitoring is available.
Which data centers is the system suitable for?
NEXAIRA.Systems is designed for data centers with high power densities and dynamic load profiles, but it is generally suitable for any facility with complex cooling systems — from mid-sized operators to hyperscalers.
More on cloudmagazin.com
- High Performance, Low Carbon: future-proof cooling for data centers
- Two thirds of Germans call for green power for new AI data centers
Related topics:More articles on MyBusinessFuture
Header image source: ebm-papst
