HYCOOL-IT

HYbrid COOLing & management for IT infrastructures

HYCOOL-IT tackles the growing energy demand of IT server rooms in tertiary buildings, which account for around 4% of EU electricity consumption in this sector. As demand rises in offices, schools, hospitals, and universities, efficient thermal management becomes essential.
The project develops a standardized, cost-effective solution combining waste-heat-powered adsorption chillers with smart controls and digital tools. Central to this is the Building Digital Twin Environment (BDTE), a Platform-as-a-Service with interactive simulators that support design, commissioning, and performance evaluation of IT rooms within buildings.
HYCOOL-IT’s replicable system improves energy efficiency, reduces environmental impact, and aids decision-making for designers and engineers. With 9 partners across 6 countries, it delivers scalable, standardized solutions for IT server room management in tertiary buildings.

Server Rooms in tertiary buildings—such as offices, hospitals, and universities—are increasingly critical to daily operations, but they come with a growing energy footprint. They currently represent about 4% of electricity use in the EU27+2 tertiary sector, and this share is expected to rise as demand for digital infrastructure grows.
HYCOOL-IT addresses this challenge by developing an integrated and replicable solution for energy-efficient server cooling. The project combines process innovation, smart digital control, and a rack-integrated adsorption chiller that uses server-generated waste heat to deliver both direct liquid cooling and ambient room cooling.

Expected impacts include:

– Reduced electricity consumption and improved thermal efficiency.
– Scalable and standardised solutions for widespread adoption.
– Greater operational resilience and autonomy of IT Rooms.
– Alignment with EU energy efficiency and decarbonisation goals.

R2M is the Innovation Manager of HYCOOL-IT and leads the project’s exploitation strategy. Our role includes:

– Developing generic use cases that guide the design and validation of HYCOOL-IT solutions.
– Supporting the commercialisation and replication of project results through market analysis, business modelling, and stakeholder engagement.
– Ensuring the alignment between technical development and real-world application, bridging innovation with implementation.

Funding Scheme:

Horizon

Project manager

Sander Smit

Related EU projects

DE-RISK

DIGIFAB