ZVEI
Rittal wins Electrifying Ideas Award 2026
The ZVEI has chosen Rittal as the winner of the Electrifying Ideas Award 2026. With this award, the German electrical and digital industry honors innovations and solutions that use energy efficiently, conserve resources and have an economic and social impact.
Rittal's Electrifying Idea came out on top among the more than 50 submissions: With Direct Liquid Cooling, Rittal has developed a key technology for the energy-efficient operation of AI-enabled data centers. Together with the GSI Helmholtzzentrum and the start-up etalytics, a practical liquid cooling system with a cooling capacity of over 1 MW was realized. Direct chip cooling overcomes the physical limits of conventional air cooling and enables the scalable use of high-performance GPUs. AI-based control algorithms and digital twins optimize energy consumption in real time and significantly reduce the CO₂ footprint. The project provides a tried-and-tested series concept and transferable best practice for climate-friendly AI infrastructure 'Made in Europe'.
"This idea solves a real problem for the future: AI requires enormous computing power, and power consumption and cooling are closely linked to this. This is not just about better cooling, but about a practical lever for the data center turnaround. This enormous potential impact convinced us," said the chairman of the award jury, Dr. Gunther Kegel.
"We are very grateful for the jury's decision and very proud of the successful collaboration between Rittal, GSI and etalytics. With this award, the ZVEI is drawing attention to one of the most pressing issues facing our industry. We need significantly more speed in the expansion of AI-capable infrastructure in Europe," says Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Loh, owner and CEO of the Friedhelm Loh Group. "As a global technology leader, we take responsibility and develop market-ready innovations. Now we just need to set and implement the right priorities in politics."
The next Electrifying Ideas Award will be presented again on May 12, 2027 as part of the eSummit. Applications will be accepted from fall 2026.
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