Raúl Mendoza, Director of Operation and Maintenance at Exera Ingeniería: "The support of CDTI Innovation and FEDER funds allows us to face the challenge posed by the increasing energy consumption of AI-powered data centers"
Data centers have become the backbone of the industrial transformation driven by artificial intelligence, but that protagonism has a cost. As the impact of AI grows, so do its energy demands, posing new challenges to an already resource-intensive industry. Exera Ingeniería develops a digital twin that allows to build a virtual replica of the center and update it in real time to analyze its operation, optimize resources and anticipate possible incidents. The project is supported by the CDTI Innovation and the European ERDF funds, a commitment that connects with the priority of the Center to promote disruptive innovation that can anticipate the sustainability challenge in an area where reducing energy consumption and emissions will be key
The Madrid company EXERA Ingeniería was born in 2016 linked to renewable energies and industrial facilities, sectors in which it was developing capabilities to optimize processes and manage complex systems. Over time, this knowledge was also transferred to the digital sphere through our own platforms such as DelfOS and TheIA, applied to the management and optimization of solar thermal plants and other infrastructures.
The work developed over these years has allowed the company to form a multidisciplinary team and participate in multiple national and international R&D projects. This accumulated knowledge now serves as the basis for tackling a new technological challenge. “AI data centers share many of the challenges we were already solving in power generation, such as thermal management, intensive power consumption and the need for continuous and reliable operation, but with greater scale and urgency,” explains Raúl Mendoza, Director of Operation and Maintenance at EXERA Ingeniería.
A digital replica to analyze the behavior
DTEMOADC, a project that develops a digital twin for AI data centers, builds on that experience. This tool will allow you to create a virtual replica capable of reproducing the behavior of the installation and being continuously updated with real data.
To do this, the model will combine a three-dimensional representation of servers, cooling systems and electrical distribution with computer simulations capable of analyzing how the air moves and how the heat is distributed. Based on this information, AI algorithms will be able to anticipate load peaks, adjust cooling and energy use, and detect potential failures, as well as simulate different scenarios before making decisions about the actual installation.
Members of the Exera Ingeniería team
In this way, the platform will analyze how the center would respond to different scenarios. "Our digital twin will be a live model, calibrated in real time with real data, capable of anticipating behaviors before they occur and of validating optimization strategies before applying them in the physical installation, which reduces risks and avoids testing and error on the real system," says Mendoza.
From data to decisions
In addition to monitoring, DTEMOADC will allow us to assess different alternatives before applying them and check their effects on the operation of the installation, thus reducing the margin of uncertainty in the management.
"We will not only show data in real time, as most current tools do, but we will generate automatic recommendations for action and allow 'what if' simulations to assess the impact of different decisions before making them," says the EXERA director.
Its modular and scalable architecture will allow the solution to be adapted to centres of different dimensions and, subsequently, to study its application in other sectors with high energy consumption.
refrigerate with consumption under control
In AI data centers, high computational density generates a lot of heat that needs to be managed efficiently. The digital twin will be able to identify hot spots and adjust cooling and workloads according to the needs of each moment, avoiding unnecessary energy consumption.
The system will also take into account water consumption, especially relevant in installations where cooling depends on this resource. DTEMOADC will incorporate the monitoring of the WUE, an indicator that relates water consumption to the activity of the center, and will allow its operation to adapt to the availability of renewable energies.
The impact of the project will be measured by reference indicators in the data centers. The PUE reflects energy efficiency, the WUE is related to water consumption, and the CUE evaluates carbon emissions associated with the operation of the facility. For Raúl Mendoza, the goal is to improve the use of energy and resources and achieve a minimum integration of 20% renewable energy in the operation.
The initiative is also aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 7, focused on affordable and clean energy, and SDG 12, related to more efficient and responsible use of resources.
Leading an international consortium
DTEMOADC also means a change of scale for EXERA. The company already had experience in international R&D projects, but until now it had participated mainly as a partner. In this initiative he assumes for the first time the technical and management direction of an international consortium together with the University of Sharjah.
This collaboration combines EXERA’s expertise with the university’s scientific knowledge in areas such as three-dimensional modeling and thermal behavior analysis. "This has a double value for EXERA. On the one hand, it allows us to access scientific and research capabilities provided by the University of Sharjah and which reinforce the technical rigor of the project. On the other hand, it opens the door to a strategic market such as the Middle East," explains Raúl Mendoza.
The works are currently in an initial phase of data acquisition, while the University of Sharjah advances in the development of the model and simulations necessary to reproduce the thermal behavior of the center.
The backup to make the leap
For the director of O&M, CDTI Innovation’s support through INNOGLOBAL “has been key to being able to take the leap from participating in international projects to leading one”. This line of aid, aimed at promoting technological cooperation with other countries, has allowed the company to face a project of high technological risk together with an international partner.
Company facilities in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid)
The project is also developed with cofinancing from FEDER funds through the POPE, in line with the drive for innovation and competitiveness pursued by this European framework. For EXERA, this experience is also part of a diversification strategy that includes entering the data center sector and developing a new line of activity.
New growth paths
The next step for the Madrid company will be to transfer the results of the project to specific applications and convert the knowledge developed into a value proposition for its customers. In addition, the experience acquired with this project will allow you to expand your offer around the management and operation of facilities with a high energy demand.
The company also plans to extend this experience to other areas with similar needs and to strengthen its international presence as the project progresses. The aim is to leverage the accumulated knowledge to develop new business opportunities and consolidate EXERA’s position in this market.
"We want DTEMOADC to be the technological base that allows us to position ourselves in this sector by providing something that very few actors combine: real experience in operation and maintenance of critical energy infrastructures, applied now to a type of installation with an urgent need for efficiency and sustainability," he concludes.
CDTI Innovation
The Center for Technological Development and Innovation, CDTI E.P.E. It is the innovation agency of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, whose objective is the promotion of technological innovation in the business environment. The mission of the CDTI is to ensure that the Spanish business fabric generates and transforms scientific and technical knowledge into globally competitive, sustainable and inclusive growth. In 2025, within the framework of the Strategic Plan 2024-2027, the CDTI provided 2,423 million euros of support to Spanish companies and startups.
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