Johnson Controls launched an Absorption Chiller Reference Design Guide that uses waste heat from on-site power generation to supply data center cooling. In a 1GW AI Factory model, the approach could reduce cooling electrical demand by up to 44% and make as much as 97MW available for additional AI computing capacity without increasing on-site generation.
The design applies combined heat and power with absorption cooling to recover energy that would otherwise be rejected as heat. Johnson Controls estimates that 57% of energy from on-site power generation is typically lost in this way, creating an opportunity to shift part of the electrical load from cooling to computing.
The 1GW reference model links the additional computing capacity to potential revenue of up to $18 billion over the facility’s operating life, based on a typical US AI Factory. Operators could instead use the efficiency gains to reduce cooling-system CO2 emissions by up to 43%.
The architecture can achieve a power usage effectiveness of 1.23 while using no water on site. Its modular configuration is intended for deployment across facilities ranging from 100MW campuses to gigawatt-scale AI Factories without requiring a complete redesign for each capacity level.
The guide draws on YORK absorption chiller technology used across industrial applications, including naval vessels and manufacturing facilities. Johnson Controls’ related data center portfolio includes air-cooled and water-cooled chillers, liquid cooling, controls and lifecycle services.
