Zurich, Switzerland, December 4, 2025 – ABB has announced a strategic investment in OctaiPipe, a UK-based provider of edge-AI software for critical infrastructure, through its venture capital unit, ABB Motion Ventures. The partnership aims to accelerate the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) to significantly improve energy efficiency in data center cooling systems.The transaction involves ABB taking a minority stake in OctaiPipe. Financial details were not disclosed, and the closing is subject to customary conditions.With global data center capacity demand projected to grow annually by 19 to 22 percent through 2030, energy consumption is a primary concern. Cooling alone can represent up to 40 percent of a data center's total electricity use. This partnership addresses the challenge by combining ABB's global scale and expertise with OctaiPipe's privacy-first, on-premise AI platform, which can reduce cooling energy consumption by up to 30 percent. The solution requires no new hardware, offers a rapid return on investment, and can be deployed quickly."Data centers are fundamental to our digital world, but their expanding energy footprint requires innovative solutions," said Eric Topham, CEO and Co-founder of OctaiPipe. "Our federated learning platform acts as an intelligent controller, dynamically optimizing cooling performance based on real-time needs. Partnering with ABB allows us to bring this secure, compliant, and highly effective technology to a global market, helping operators future-proof their operations.""Energy efficiency is no longer optional; it is a critical imperative for industries to operate in a leaner and more sustainable way," said Ankush Gulati, Energy Efficiency Program Lead at ABB Motion Services. "Integrating OctaiPipe's cutting-edge AI into our portfolio provides data centers with a powerful tool to optimize their cooling infrastructure. Given that U.S. data center electricity demand is expected to surpass that of all energy-intensive manufacturing industries combined by 2030, the potential for impact is substantial."OctaiPipe's solution utilizes advanced AI techniques, including federated learning, multi-agent reinforcement learning, and digital twins, to dynamically adjust cooling setpoints while maintaining operational safety and compliance. Its on-premise architecture is designed for operators who prioritize data security and seamless scalability over cloud-based alternatives.The partnership is supported by a clear roadmap to help data centers enhance reliability and operational performance.ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a leading global technology company that energizes the transformation of society and industry to achieve a more productive, sustainable future. By connecting software to its electrification, robotics, automation and motion portfolios, ABB pushes the boundaries of technology to drive performance to new levels. With a history of excellence stretching back more than 140 years, ABB’s success is driven by about 110,000 talented employees in over 100 countries.
