Observed Signal · Feb 12, 2025 · Partnership · Source: Trending Topics · Impact: 2/5 · Sentiment: Positive
OnZero to Supply AI Compute Waste Heat to Helsinki Grid
OnZero Finland Oy, a subsidiary of Vienna-based OnZero Alpha Holdings GmbH, has signed an agreement with Helsinki's municipal energy company Helen Oy to supply recovered waste heat from AI computing to the Finnish capital's district heating network. The facility, branded 'AI Heat Factory', is expected to provide up to 525,000 MWh of heat annually — enough for approximately 70,000 apartments — and is scheduled for commissioning next year. OnZero's liquid-cooled architecture is designed to recover up to 99 percent of waste heat from AI workloads with zero on-site water consumption. Helen, which has used data center heat since 2010 and already works with Equinix, plans to phase out combustion-based generation by 2040. OnZero, founded by executives from crypto-mining infrastructure firm Blockbase Mining, already operates sites in Kemijärvi and Kerava, Finland, and is expanding in Europe.
European AI infrastructure deal combining AI compute with district heating waste-heat recovery; relevant to AI infrastructure sustainability but peripheral to core AdTech/MarTech.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- OnZero Finland Oy signed a contract with Helsinki-based energy provider Helen Oy to supply waste heat from AI compute to the city's district heating network.
- The 'AI Heat Factory' is designed to deliver up to 525,000 MWh of heat per year, covering the needs of around 70,000 apartments.
- The liquid-cooled facility aims to recover up to 99 percent of waste heat with zero on-site water consumption.
- OnZero already operates two Finnish sites (Kemijärvi and Kerava) with a PUE of 1.02, delivering about 30,700 MWh of heat to date.
- Helen Oy has used data center waste heat since 2010 and plans to exit combustion-based energy generation by 2040.
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1 Entity mapped“Helen has contracts with Equinix for data center waste heat since 2010....”
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