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Cooling the Cloud: Energy Efficiency as the "First Fuel"

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Munters

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As AI and cloud computing expand rapidly, so do the massive energy and water footprints of data centers. At Climate Week NYC 2026, Andréa Haag, Vice President of Sustainability at Munters Group, highlighted the urgent need for resource-efficient solutions to manage this digital growth.



Computing generates heat, and more computing power requires more cooling, which accounts for a significant share of a data center's energy and water use. The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that global data center electricity demand will more than double by around 2030. Currently, cooling can consume 10% to 40% of the annual power used by a facility's IT equipment, depending on location and systems.
Munters is tackling this by developing solutions that can reduce annual cooling energy to less than 5% globally. This innovation allows data centers to add capacity while reducing consumption, built on decades of the company's engineering expertise.
Despite these advancements, Haag notes that energy efficiency still isn't getting enough attention compared to building new energy supplies. Echoing the IEA, she calls energy efficiency the "first fuel"—the fastest and most cost-effective way to maximize both existing and future capacity. "We see every unit of energy and water saved... as capacity freed up for digitalization, electrification, and sustainable growth," Haag explained.
To drive this shift, Munters is actively involved in the Energy Efficiency Movement, a global network of over 600 companies collaborating to cut industrial emissions and energy use. Haag emphasizes that collaboration scales proven solutions faster.
The message from Munters is clear: we must turn "energy into impact, and impact into action" by rapidly scaling efficient solutions to ensure our digital future is both resilient and sustainable.
Watch the full interview to learn more:
https://youtu.be/R5i6PNplS1E



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