The DATIA project has officially started its activities at IMDEA Software after being awarded earlier this year by the Regional Government of Madrid under the 2023 Innovation Hubs call. The initiative is led by researcher Thaleia Doudali and brings together nine industrial partners and two academic institutions in a consortium aimed at strengthening the sustainability of the digital ecosystem.
With a budget of approximately €5.7 million, DATIA addresses one of today’s major technological challenges: reconciling the rapid growth of data centers with climate neutrality goals. Information and communication technologies already account for between 5% and 9% of global electricity consumption and around 2% of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. The expansion of artificial intelligence has increased data center demand by a factor of 25, and projections suggest that associated energy consumption could reach 20% by 2030.
DATIA aims to develop technologies that enable the design and management of a new generation of clean and flexible data centers, reducing energy consumption, optimizing service quality, and lowering operational costs. To achieve this, the project will work on intelligent models to improve the efficiency of key systems such as cooling and servers, integrate renewable energy sources and storage solutions, and develop a digital twin to simulate and optimize operations. It will also incorporate artificial intelligence tools to anticipate failures and enhance the operational management of these infrastructures.
The initiative is aligned with the objectives of the European Green Deal and with sector commitments such as the Climate Neutral Data Centre Pact. Its development is particularly relevant for the Community of Madrid, which in 2023 increased its installed data center capacity by 56%, concentrating more than 80% of Spain’s total capacity.
IMDEA Software’s participation involves an investment of €246.488,69, of which €178.291,51 corresponds to the granted funding. The project is co-funded by the European Union’s ERDF funds under the agreement approved by the Regional Government Council on November 2, 2022, aimed at promoting consortium-based flagship projects that foster public–private cooperation in R&D&I.
The DATIA project is co-financed with ERDF funds, under Priority 1.C STEP (Strategic Technologies Platform for Europe) of the ERDF Program of the Community of Madrid 2021‑2027.
