Svante Horn discusses the potential for Swedish data centers to leverage the country's extensive district heating grid, which could mitigate excess waste heat.
He highlights the increasing workload densities of racks and the resulting higher outgoing temperatures.
A European cloud provider has committed to using a facility with outgoing temperatures of 60 degrees Celsius, leveraging the efficiency gains of heat pumps, which perform better at higher intake temperatures.
Horn notes that Swedish authorities are reluctant to provide more power to data centers despite perceived societal benefits.
This contrasts with the promises of job creation from US hyperscalers.
He envisions bespoke data centers as energy and heat hubs, aligning with Sweden's green transition and maximizing societal benefits per megawatt.
This video is excerpted from the podcast Ep. #46 Svante Horn, CEO & Co-Founder of Scandinavian Data Centers | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast.
Action Items
- Explore the feasibility of directly connecting data centers to the district heating grid in Sweden.
- Engage with European cloud providers to understand their heat output requirements and how they can be integrated into the district heating grid.
- Investigate the potential for data centers to serve as energy, heat, and data hubs for local communities in Sweden.
- Develop a strategy to address the concerns of Swedish policymakers regarding the societal benefits of data centers.
Outline
Sweden's District Heating Grid and Data Center Efficiency
- Svante Horn explains that Sweden's district heating grid is a significant advantage, as it can utilize excess heat from data centers.
- He mentions the increasing workload densities of racks, which generate higher out temperatures.
- A European cloud challenger has committed to using Svante Horn's facility, with temperatures reaching 60 degrees Celsius, highlighting the efficiency gains of heat pumps.
- Heat pumps' efficiency improves at higher temperatures, making achieving the necessary temperatures for district heating grids easier.
- Modern district heating grids operate at lower temperatures, almost eliminating the need for heat pumps. This allows servers to be directly connected to the grid.
Economic and Political Impact on Data Centers
- Svante Horn discusses the economic benefits of using district heating grids, which require less energy for heat transfer.
- He notes that Swedish politicians are reluctant to provide more power to data centers due to the lack of job creation and societal benefits promised by US hyperscale establishments.
- The focus is on creating a data center platform that aligns with Sweden's green transition. The goal is to create a harmonious relationship between data centers and the community.
- Svante Horn envisions bespoke data centers acting as energy, data, and heat hubs for their communities, maximizing societal benefits per megawatt.
- The goal is to change the narrative and ensure unparalleled access to power in a supportive environment.
Resources
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