Darmstadt, Germany – September 9, 2026 – A joint AI-supported cooling optimization project by Telehouse Germany and etalytics has achieved a 10.4% reduction in electricity consumption on one of five cooling units at Telehouse’s Frankfurt data center.
The result was achieved in an already well-optimized data center using existing infrastructure and under live operating conditions. Rollout of the same optimization approach across the remaining units is already underway. Based on the performance achieved to date, the complete five-unit system is projected to save approximately 497 MWh of electricity per year. Based on the conventional German electricity mix, this corresponds to around 180 tonnes of avoided CO₂ emissions per year.
Telehouse Germany has won the Infrastructure Sustainability Award at the Platform Global Awards 2026 for the project.
10.4% electricity reduction under live operating conditions
The project uses the etaONE® platform from etalytics to optimize the cooling supply at Telehouse's Frankfurt site.
etaONE® combines digital twin modelling, predictive analytics and automated setpoint optimization within predefined operating limits to continuously identify more efficient operating points as thermal demand, ambient conditions and equipment behavior change.
Within the current optimization scope, etaONE® adjusts two variables in the recooling circuit: cooling tower outlet temperature and recooling pump volume flow. The optimization takes site-specific operating constraints into account, including nighttime noise requirements that limit cooling tower flexibility.
The 10.4% reduction was determined by comparing optimized operation between 14 April and 5 August 2026 with historical periods under similar operating conditions. The assessment accounted for ambient temperature and thermal demand.
The performance measured on the first optimized unit provides the basis for the projected savings across the complete five-unit system.
Beyond the energy savings, the deployment has improved operational visibility. etaONE® monitors indicators of cooling-tower filter fouling, enabling Telehouse to identify changes earlier and plan maintenance more precisely.
AI optimization designed for mission-critical reliability
etaONE® operates within approved technical boundaries and alongside Telehouse's existing building automation system. Fallback mechanisms automatically return the plant to conventional control if defined requirements are not met, while operators can intervene at any time.
During the reported assessment period, no incidents or limit violations occurred, and normal data center operations were not disrupted, including during scheduled maintenance.
“With AI-based optimization by etalytics, we are making energy flows and operating conditions transparent and manageable. For me, innovation is not about adding more and more technology. It is about achieving better results with less effort,” says Michael Nicolai, CEO of Telehouse Germany.
“This project shows what AI-supported optimization can achieve under real operating conditions: measurable efficiency gains in a live data center,” says Dr. Thomas Weber, Co-Founder and Managing Director of etalytics. “The result was achieved in an already well-optimized environment and within clearly defined operating limits. That is what makes this approach scalable for mission-critical operations: measurable performance improvements without compromising reliability or operational control.”
Next steps: expanding optimization and reporting
The current optimization approach is being rolled out across the remaining cooling units within the system. Further optimization of the chilled-water side is also planned, with additional potential across the wider cooling infrastructure.
Telehouse also plans to expand its use of etaONE® for integrated energy and operational reporting. Because the platform is directly connected to the underlying operational systems, reporting can draw on a consistent data foundation without requiring information to be manually consolidated from separate sources. Automated reporting and dashboard functions are intended to simplify reporting processes and provide a more consistent view of energy and operational performance.
Longer term, the digital twin foundation can support increasingly complex energy strategies such as waste heat utilization, district heating integration and thermal storage.
About etalytics
etalytics develops AI-driven Operational Intelligence for complex, mission-critical energy infrastructure. Founded in 2020 as a spin-off of TU Darmstadt, the company helps operators improve the efficiency, resilience and performance of energy-intensive systems while maintaining full operational control. Its etaONE® platform combines real-time operational data, physics-based digital twins, predictive analytics and AI-powered optimization to support the operation of cooling, power and utility infrastructure. etaONE® is used in data centers and energy-intensive industries including automotive, pharmaceuticals and chemicals.
About Telehouse Germany
Telehouse operates more than 40 own data centres in Asia, Europe, Africa and the USA. As subsidiary of KDDI Corporation, Japan’s second largest telecoms company, we supply IT and telecom services on a global scale in over 170 countries. As authentic pioneers of data centre-based IT services – we opened the world’s first location dedicated to this purpose in 1989 – we are a well-established partner offering a wealth of market and technology expertise for all challenges and dimensions of data centre services related to colocation and connectivity.
Media Contacts
etalytics GmbH
Lisa Olmert
PR & Communications Manager
Telehouse Germany
Klaus Kühnel
Director Business Development, Product Management & Marketing
klaus.kuehnel@de.telehouse.net
