SDU in Sønderborg launches energy-efficient AI and supercomputing data center with Danfoss and HPE

The University of Southern Denmark (SDU) is establishing a new advanced, energy-efficient data center in Sønderborg in collaboration with Danfoss and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) to support research in AI and high-performance computing (HPC). The facility aims to demonstrate the potential of sustainable data center design on an international scale. 

Building on SDU’s experience with innovative cloud technologies and national HPC services, including the DeiC Interactive HPC based on the UCloud platform, the new data center will provide researchers from SDU and other Danish universities access to advanced accelerators needed for AI research and the handling of large, complex data sets in a secure, open-source environment. 

The collaboration with Danfoss and HPE enables the integration of energy-efficient cooling and heat-recovery systems into the HPC environment, allowing operational data to support optimization of thermal performance while SDU continues to develop more energy-efficient workloads on the UCloud platform. 

“We are proud that with the new data center, we can combine research, sustainability, and technological innovation in one unified project. It is not only an investment in the future of research but also a concrete example of how SDU creates value for society by supporting the green and digital transition in Denmark,” said Thomas Buchvald Vind, University Director at SDU. 

From an industry perspective, the project also highlights the importance of collaboration across the digital infrastructure ecosystem. 

“This initiative reflects the growing maturity of the Danish data center ecosystem. When universities, technology companies and infrastructure providers collaborate at this level, it creates a strong foundation for sustainable digital growth and research capacity,” said Henrik Hansen, CEO, Danish Data Center Industry. 



The data center will be developed using modular infrastructure designed for demanding AI and HPC workloads, with solutions provided in collaboration with Danfoss and HPE Services. The initiative is supported by ProjectZero, a public-private partnership in Sønderborg working toward a carbon-neutral energy system in the municipality by 2029.