Aventec brings its water digitalisation expertise to OptimCPD to make data centre cooling more efficient

Aventec is taking part in OptimCPD, an experimental development project that aims to reduce the water and energy consumption of cooling systems in data processing centres (DPCs). Within the consortium, Aventec leads the design of the real-time monitoring and control system and the advanced data analytics.

Data centres are critical infrastructure for the digital transformation: they power the cloud, artificial intelligence and the IoT. Cooling accounts for a very significant share of their energy consumption and of their water consumption. All of this is happening in a context of water stress and high energy prices.

OptimCPD was created to address this challenge. The project, promoted by the Catalan Water Partnership (CWP), will develop a smart digital platform to optimise the water and energy consumption of data centre cooling.

A solution in four parts

  • Advanced sensing, to monitor water and energy in real time.
  • Data analytics and machine learning, to detect inefficiencies and anticipate failures.
  • Adaptive automation and predictive control, which adjusts operation to actual demand.
  • Cybersecure architecture, aligned with the NIS2 Directive.

The project’s targets are to reduce the energy consumption of cooling by at least 10 % and its water consumption by at least 15 %, and to achieve a PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness) of 1.2 or lower.

Aventec’s role

Aventec brings its core expertise to the project: monitoring and controlling critical infrastructure and extracting value from its data. Specifically, Aventec:

  • Leads the design of the real-time monitoring and control system, from the architecture to the implementation plan.
  • Leads the advanced data analytics to optimise water and energy consumption.
  • Designs the security architecture and the data protection controls.
  • Supports the definition of requirements and the integration of data capture.

With around a hundred water cycle digitalisation projects behind it, covering IoT sensing, data analytics and management platforms, Aventec is now applying this know-how to another critical infrastructure. OptimCPD connects the world of water, where we come from, with the digital world.

The consortium

OptimCPD is coordinated by the Catalan Water Partnership (CWP), with the participation of ONTECH, in charge of dissemination, Inypsa, Disibeint Electronic, AppliedIT and Aventec.

The OptimCPD project, file number AEI-010500-2025-40, has been funded by the Ministry of Industry and Tourism of the Government of Spain under the Innovative Business Clusters (AEI) support programme.