Solutions
Unlock computing power for data centres
Free up cooling capacity for additional racks — without any expensive grid or chiller upgrade.
Data centres are increasingly limited by cooling and grid connection. For the warmest days of the year, when cooling hits its peak, Cartesian's Thermal Box stores cold overnight and delivers it through your existing liquid cooling system during the daytime peak. This unlocks highly valuable megawatts of grid capacity that could be reallocated to computing power and revenue generation. For the rest of the year, the same asset increases the share of free cooling, maximizes PV usage, and acts as a silent, fossil-free thermal back-up during grid disturbances.
Typical impact
Unlock computing power for data centres- 0.1–1 MW
- grid capacity unlocked
- Exceptional
- Power Usage Effectiveness
- Megawatt hours
- of more free cooling every year
The challenge
Grid connection is the number one bottleneck for data centre expansion. As data centres grow, operators must maximize compute revenues with limited grid connection and increasing cooling demand. Every megawatt used for cooling is a megawatt that cannot be allocated to revenue-generating IT equipment. On the warmest days, peak cooling demand can limit how much computing capacity a site can operate, even when the rest of the year has available cooling potential.
The Cartesian outcome
Cartesian turns data centres into flexible energy assets. With Thermal Box, data centres can cool down the storage when conditions are favorable, then discharge stored cooling during peak daytime hours. This helps reduce peak cooling loads, unlock grid capacity for revenue-generating servers and improve cooling efficiency during the rest of the year. The same system can also support backup cooling, increase use of on-site PV and enable value from grid flexibility.
Best fit when…
- Data centres close to their grid capacity limit
- Sites where peak cooling demand constrains IT load
- Operators looking to allocate more power to revenue-generating servers
- Facilities with chilled-water or liquid cooling systems
- Operators with tight PUE / ESG targets
How it works
From signal to saving — every cycle.
- 01
Profile the cooling load
We pull cooling and IT load profiles and identify where you're capacity constrained.
- 02
Size the storage
Thermal Box sized to cover the daytime peak — typically 0.1–1 MWh electric peak shave per facility.
- 03
Capture night cold
Free cooling and chillers charge the box overnight when ambient temps and grid load are low.
- 04
Discharge during day
Stored cold delivers into your liquid cooling system during the daytime peak.
FAQ
Common questions about unlock computing power for data centres
What's the impact on PUE?
Typical improvement is 0.05–0.10 PUE depending on free-cooling potential and chiller efficiency curves.
Can it act as a thermal UPS?
Yes — keep a configurable reserve and the Thermal Box rides through grid events for hours without fossil generators.
Is it compatible with our existing CRAC/CRAH topology?
Yes — the box ties into the chilled-water loop, not the air side. Existing CRAC units don't change.
Let's build the smarter grid