As global demand for data and artificial intelligence (AI) accelerates, the pressure on data centers is rising just as fast.
The International Energy Agency forecasts that global data center electricity consumption will more than double by 2030, to nearly 1000 TWh. With that growth comes an urgent need for sustainable, scalable cooling — especially as many operators rely on evaporative systems that consume millions of gallons of water daily. While evaporative cooling can offer good energy efficiency, its water footprint makes it increasingly unsustainable for communities facing drought, regulation and competition for shared resources.
ThermalWorks, a New York–based manufacturer of ultra-efficient, modular cooling systems, set out to solve this challenge head-on: deliver the performance modern data centers demand without using water. Their goal was to engineer a chiller that maximized heat-transfer efficiency, adapted intelligently to changing weather and load conditions, and operated with the agility and reliability hyperscale facilities require. With a long history of co-development and engineering collaboration, ThermalWorks partnered with Danfoss to integrate advanced Danfoss components into the next-generation waterless chiller.
Forging a New Path with Energy-Efficient Waterless Cooling
ThermalWorks chose Danfoss Turbocor® TGS380 compressors, along with Danfoss valves, actuators, sight glasses and filter driers. Turbocor compressors use oil-free and magnetic-bearing technology to deliver high efficiency and low sound levels in a compact footprint, with zero performance degradation over the life of the compressor. Featuring permanent magnet motors and variable speed drives, they optimize energy use at full and part loads. The lack of oil, along with variable-speed capabilities and compatibility with low-GWP refrigerants, enables customers to lower their energy consumption and carbon footprint. In addition, the TGS380’s fast restart capability can manage thermal spikes and reduce reliance on thermal storage.
High energy efficiency, oil-free technology and reduced environmental impact make the TGS380 an ideal fit for air-cooled chillers in data centers, where it works in conjunction with the chiller’s free cooling system to keep the racks and servers cool during the compressor’s off-cycle. This chiller design results in optimal energy efficiency and lower Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).
The TGS380 compressors and other Danfoss components enabled the ThermalWorks air-cooled chiller system to save energy, even in high ambient conditions, without using any water, due to their ability to operate at a high delta-T. “Our goal was to match the energy efficiency of an adiabatic system but with an ultra-efficient, waterless design, which had yet to be done in the industry,” said John Costakis, CEO of ThermalWorks. “The capabilities of Turbocor compressors were aligned with what we wanted to accomplish.”
Designed for high-density workloads (up to 200 kW per rack), the fully-integrated ThermalWorks system employs a glycol/fluid-based primary hydronic loop and a secondary refrigerant loop. High-efficiency precision air handlers maintain differential pressure across servers, while supporting high air flow and high delta-T. The design eliminates the need for mechanical equipment within data halls, making the system more space-efficient.
The system supports a flexible temperature delta of up to 60ºF between supply fluid and return fluid—three times higher than traditional chillers. This allows the system to support high density liquid cooling and air cooling on the same circuit for hybrid, all-liquid and all-air data halls. The chiller features autonomous optimization logic, built-in controls and industry-leading oil-free Danfoss Turbocor® TGS380 compressors. The result is resilient, AI-ready performance, low sound levels and low-maintenance operation.
Mission-Critical Design Achieves Efficiency Goals
Edged, which builds and operates sustainable data centers for hyperscale cloud companies, technology providers and large enterprises in the U.S. and Europe, adopted the new technology. Across a 20-week rollout, chillers were produced and delivered weekly to support rapid, synchronized construction schedules. By the end of 2024, the technology was fully deployed across multiple Edged facilities.
Julian Bastiani, Edged’s vice president of operations in North America, reports significant energy savings. Compared to traditional chillers, ThermalWorks waterless chillers have reduced energy consumption by 20-30%. Able to operate in temperatures as high as 135 degrees Fahrenheit, the chiller system has resulted in an average PUE of 1.15 across Edged data centers. In addition to reduced operating costs, the chiller has reduced carbon emissions by 20-30%.
“The name of the game is to be as energy-efficient as possible for our customers,” said Bastiani. He added that in addition to the energy and environmental benefits, the low noise of the TGS380 compressors is ideal for data center use, given that an increasing number of data centers are being built in residential areas.
“The oil-free and magnetic-bearing technology offered by Danfoss Turbocor compressors provide exceptional energy efficiency and reliability, making them ideal for mission-critical environments like data centers,” said Rogerio Federici, vice president of Danfoss Turbocor. “We are excited to be working with ThermalWorks to develop sustainable cooling methods for the data center industry.”
“The oil-free and magnetic-bearing technology offered by Danfoss Turbocor compressors provide exceptional energy efficiency and reliability, making them ideal for mission-critical environments like data centers,” said Rogerio Federici, vice president of Danfoss Turbocor. “We are excited to be working with ThermalWorks to develop sustainable cooling methods for the data center industry.”
