Turning Waste Heat into District Heating: Our Circular Economy Model

From Waste to Warmth

Traditional data centres treat heat as waste — something to be expelled as quickly and cheaply as possible. At AI Green Bytes, we see it differently. The heat generated by GPU workloads is a valuable resource that can warm homes, offices, and public buildings.

How It Works

Our immersion cooling system captures heat at a much higher temperature than air cooling systems, making it directly usable for district heating:

1. GPU workloads generate heat (up to 700W per chip)
2. Dielectric fluid absorbs the heat, reaching 45-55°C
3. Heat exchangers transfer thermal energy to the district heating network
4. Buildings receive clean, waste-free heating

The Economics

Heat reuse transforms the economics of data centre operations:

• Revenue stream: We sell heat to district heating operators
• Reduced cooling costs: Heat removal is the heating system, not an additional cost
• Carbon credits: Displaced fossil fuel heating generates carbon offset value
• Community goodwill: Local communities benefit directly from our presence

Real-World Impact

For our planned Paris deployment:

• Heating capacity: Enough to warm approximately 100 apartments
• CO₂ displacement: ~150 tonnes per year of avoided fossil fuel emissions
• Revenue potential: €50,000-100,000 per year in heat sales

The Nordic Advantage

Our roots in the Nordics give us deep experience with district heating — Norway and Iceland heat the vast majority of their buildings with renewable energy. We're applying the same principles to data centre waste heat across Europe.

Scaling the Model

As we expand across our 16 European locations, each site will integrate with local district heating networks. By 2029, we expect to be heating thousands of homes across Europe — turning what was once an environmental liability into a community asset.