NEG8 Carbon joins data centre net zero start-up hub

NEG8 Carbon has been selected for the Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centres Start-Up Hub programme. The Waterford company was one of eight businesses chosen from more than 45 applicants across 19 countries.

The six-month programme is backed by Google, Microsoft, Schneider Electric, APL, Danfoss, Data4 and Vertiv. It is designed to connect selected companies with data centre operators, technology providers, investors and industry specialists.

NEG8 Carbon develops direct air capture systems that use low-temperature waste heat from data centres to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Its process draws in air and passes it over a sorbent material that attracts CO2, then uses waste heat to regenerate the sorbent.

The model is aimed at data centres that produce constant heat from servers and related equipment. It is intended to provide an alternative heat reuse option for sites where connection to district heating networks is not practical.

According to NEG8 Carbon, combining its system with a data centre can also produce water and contribute to on-site cooling. Captured atmospheric CO2 can then either be stored in carbon removal projects or used as a feedstock for products including eFuels.

The company said the approach could affect several industry measures for data centre operators, including Energy Reuse Factor, Power Usage Effectiveness, Water Usage Effectiveness and Carbon Usage Effectiveness.

Dr David Mulrooney, Head of Business Development at NEG8 Carbon, outlined the company's priorities for the programme.

"The programme gives the company a route to scale its heat reuse technology for sustainable data centres, underpinned by its patented Electrostatic Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology. A key outcome will be engaging with hyperscale data centre designers and operating the NEG8 technology at their sites," Mulrooney said.

Industry backing

The Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centres is based in Denmark and brings together companies from across the European data centre sector. Its stated aim is to identify, test and reduce barriers to deploying lower-emission technologies in the industry.

Alberto Ravagni, Chief Executive Officer of the Net Zero Innovation Hub for Data Centres, said: "There is no shortage of good ideas - there's a shortage of pathways to scale them. That's the gap the Net Zero Hub was built to close. By bringing innovators, hyperscalers, operators, integrators and investors together in one programme, we de-risk, accelerate and guide startups and scale-ups every step of the way - from incubation to gigawatt-scale deployment. This is how we turn promising technology into delivered growth and sustainability."

Google said the selected companies reflected a wider push to cut emissions from data centres.

"We created the Net Zero Innovation Hub to accelerate the decarbonisation of the data centre industry, and the companies involved in the Net Zero Start-Up Hub represent that next frontier in data centre innovation. This is exactly the kind of collaboration Google is proud to support, in Fredericia and beyond," Andersen said.

Henrik Hansen, Chief Executive Officer of Danish Data Centre Industry, said: "Denmark has the chance to be a genuine test bed for solving the grid and sustainability challenges we are facing right now when it comes to the buildout of digital infrastructure. The Net Zero Start-Up Hub is proof that we're willing to walk the talk, putting real, workable solutions in front of the people who can actually put them to use."

NEG8 Carbon was founded in 2014 as a spin-out from carbon capture research at Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin. It developed a demonstration direct air capture unit in 2021 and is now working to scale the technology.

The other companies selected for the cohort are Atoco, Carbon Clean, CMBLU Energy, Ionate, Loadwise, Kvasir and Reverion.