Trane Technologies Helps Infomaniak Data Center Set New Standard for Sustainable Digital Infrastructure with Heat Recovery System

Efficiency by design

Infomaniak's underground location beneath a residential development presented both a challenge and an opportunity. The data center was designed to integrate seamlessly with its surroundings, turning what could have been a source of noise and waste heat into a valuable community asset that reduces the environmental impact normally associated with data centers.

"For a very long time, we have chosen to power our data centers exclusively with renewable electricity," said Thomas Jacobsen, Infomaniak Spokesperson. "Since 2013, we have eliminated the use of dedicated air conditioning systems for our infrastructure. The biggest lever we had left to further reduce our environmental impact was to recover all the heat we release into the atmosphere after using electricity for storage, computing and AI. That’s the logic behind this thermal recovery system: using Trane’s high-efficiency, heat pump technology to connect our facility to the district heating network and make energy recovery central to our operations."

This data center achieves an average Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of 1.09, among the best in the world, compared to the European average of 1.6. Its Energy Reuse Factor (ERF) averages 0.95, meaning 95% of consumed energy is reused as heat.

The industry-leading efficiency of our heat pumps wasn’t the only reason Trane Technologies was selected for the Infomaniak project. XStream™ equipment operates on near-zero global warming potential (GWP) refrigerants. The implementation team at Trane Technologies also worked closely with architects, designers and contractors to solve other issues on site, such as potential noise pollution.

Two modes of operation

Infomaniak's cooling system was designed to work without traditional chillers. Instead, two Trane® XStream™ RTWF heat pumps capture server heat and raise its temperature from 45°C to 67°C (113°F to 152.6°F) in summer and up 85°C (185°F) in winter, making it suitable for the district heating network's seasonal requirements. The cold released during the compression process is simultaneously used to cool the servers back to around 28°C (82.4°F)—meaning the heat pumps serve a dual purpose: heating the district network and cooling the data center. The system operates entirely in a closed loop, with no water consumption and no atmospheric discharge.

In summer, the recovered heat is used for domestic hot water production. If the heat pumps are temporarily unavailable—for example, during maintenance or when the heating network temporarily cannot absorb the recovered energy—the system switches to direct free cooling using filtered outside air, a backup method Infomaniak has relied on across its data centers since 2013.

Massive carbon savings

At full capacity, Infomaniak's system recovers 1.7 megawatts of heat continuously—enough to warm 6,000 energy-efficient homes in winter or provide 20,000 five-minute showers each day in summer.

The system annually generates an estimated 14.9 GWh of output. Compared to natural gas combustion, this saves 3,600 tons of carbon per year. Compared to wood pellet combustion, the savings jump to 5,500 tons—a figure that excludes the additional emissions and particulate pollution from the 200 heavy vehicle trips needed to transport those pellets.

Infomaniak is currently operating at 50% capacity but is expected to reach full operational capacity by 2028. It is estimated that the center will be supplying heat to Geneva's district heating network for at least two decades.

"Infomaniak serves as a powerful model for data center designers worldwide," said Lauri Salmia, Applied Portfolio Manager at Trane Technologies. "It demonstrates how energy-intensive facilities can be transformed into sustainable community resources and how major digital infrastructure can integrate seamlessly into urban environments."

The project's impact has been widely recognized, earning both the Swiss Ethics Prize and the Cantonal Sustainable Development Prize. More importantly, it proves that high-performance digital infrastructure and environmental responsibility aren't competing priorities—they're complementary goals that, with the right technology and vision, can be achieved together.