Avans Heat Hub · Avans AI OS
Data centre waste heat into grid access and local value
Data centres struggle to get a grid connection fast enough. Local communities feel left out of the benefits of data centre investment. Avans is designed to answer both. Waste heat becomes a source of local vitality, even in remote areas. Flexible power use can speed up the grid connection, and the data centre's operation is never put at risk.
- of a campus's heat put to use, year-round; 5–10% with district heating alone
- ≈ 50%of a campus's heat put to use, year-round; 5–10% with district heating alone
- per loaded 10 MW hall, added as each hall fills
- 1 moduleper loaded 10 MW hall, added as each hall fills
- capex for the operator: investors own the hardware, the operator pays a capacity fee
- €0capex for the operator: investors own the hardware, the operator pays a capacity fee
The solution in brief
The Avans Heat Hub, built hall by hall
A data centre makes heat every hour of the year, yet district heating takes only 5–10% of it, mostly in winter. An Avans Heat Hub brings year-round heat users next door and earns the site its grid connection sooner.
Planning figures: one 5 MW module per 10 MW hall has 4.5 MW of usable heat on average and sells ≈ 34 GWh a year; ten modules at a 100 MW campus put ≈ 335 of 670 GWh to use. Every site is sized in the pre-study.
- 1
Avans Connect at the fence
Takes the data centre's heat at the fence and splits it two ways. The dry coolers stay as 100% backup, and every MWh is metered.
- 2
Heat Hub modules next door
One 5 MW module per loaded 10 MW hall. Drying, food, bioenergy, industry and community uses take about half of the heat, each with the best available technology.
- 3
Avans Flex and Avans AI OS
Batteries and a heat store behind the grid meter are designed to meet the operator's flexibility commitment without curtailing IT. Avans AI OS is designed to run all three parts.
How we work
Three steps from a call to a working Heat Hub
Every step ends with a go or no-go, and you only commit to the next one.
- 1
30-minute call
No preparation needed
We go through the site, the heat, possible users and the timeline, and tell you which first step fits.
- 2
Pre-feasibility study
Fixed price
How much heat can be used, who takes it all year and what the site can earn. The result supports the permit, the EU label and the investment decision.
- 3
A project company owns it, Avans runs it
Funded by investors
An Avans Heat Hub project company is set up for the site and investors fund it. Avans develops the site and operates the Heat Hub for 15 years or more; the operator pays a capacity fee, not capex.
Study fees are credited against the system delivery when the project goes ahead.
Municipal pre-study €30,000 (€18,000 with energy aid) · Data centre pre-feasibility study €50,000 · All excl. VAT; the project company's blueprint and build are priced per site.
Founders
Built by people who have sold, designed and run industrial systems
Two founders: twenty years of industrial projects and export sales in Asia, and seven years leading ProAgria, Finland's agricultural advisory network. Behind them, a physicist who designs the heat systems and engineers who build container units for biogas and pyrolysis. We integrate the best available technology from any supplier.
Designed around
- EU data-centre rating (2026)
- EU Energy Efficiency Directive (EED)
- German Energy Efficiency Act (EnEfG)
- Finnish Energy Efficiency Act
- Clean transition siting permit (43 a §)
- Business Finland energy aid
Jani Vänskä
Co-founder & CEO
Twelve years of industrial projects in China (Metso Paper/Valmet, Andritz)
Dr Harri Mäkivuokko
Co-founder & COO
PhD in food biochemistry; ProAgria CEO for 7+ years
Strategic advisor
Chris Betts
Former General Counsel of Grab, where he led the legal work on its US$40 bn Nasdaq listing. Previously a capital markets partner at Skadden in Hong Kong, with 40+ IPOs.
Next step
Book a 30-minute call
Tell us briefly about your site or project. We reply personally as soon as possible and book a short call about your heat, possible users and timeline.
What happens next
- 1A 30-minute call: heat, possible users, timeline
- 2Together we check fit, schedule and funding options
- 3You get a fixed-price pre-study proposal, credited against the system delivery