Honeywell partnership to boost data centre efficiency

Honeywell has announced a global strategic collaboration with Korea’s LS ELECTRIC to jointly develop solutions that simplify power management and distribution for data centres and other building operators, helping improve operational efficiency and resiliency.

By combining the companies’ expertise, data centre operators will be able to seamlessly integrate critical power distribution with broader building management functions, such as ensuring load is aligned to capacity, to improve resiliency.

The two companies will begin by selling joint products, providing data centre operators with integrated switchgear and power management to control and distribute the power that helps keep critical systems running without interruption.

“Our collaboration with LS ELECTRIC supports our continued focus on delivering smarter, scalable solutions for the world’s most critical industries,” said Billal Hammoud, President and CEO of Honeywell Building Automation. “As the global demand for data and energy accelerates, this partnership with LS ELECTRIC combines our complementary strengths to distribute intelligent infrastructure that’s not only resilient and efficient but also future-ready. Together, we’re unlocking possibilities that will help our customers stay ahead in a landscape being rapidly reshaped by AI.”

The partnership anticipates developing new electrical power monitoring systems based on Honeywell Forge, a platform with AI functions, and LS ELECTRIC’s expertise and software capabilities.

The resulting systems are being designed to intelligently regulate energy distribution and consumption while also leveraging AI-driven predictive maintenance to help identify potential issues early to reduce power quality issues and costly downtime.

Beyond power management and controls integration, the companies will also collaborate on a new grid and building-aware battery energy storage system (BESS) for commercial and industrial buildings.

To meet the increasing load on the grid, the end-to-end solution will create microgrids in critical buildings and industrial facilities, providing a practical alternative to help improve resiliency and manage demand.

This new modular BESS solution will integrate LS ELECTRIC’s energy storage capabilities with Honeywell’s dynamic energy control software to help forecast the best source and cost based on utility data, weather and other risks.

Data centres currently consume 1–2% of global electricity production, and that is expected to grow dramatically. With this partnership, Honeywell will be a one-stop supplier for building automation controls and power and electrical products, allowing data centres to be more efficient with energy use and storage.

“Building on our accumulated expertise in power infrastructure and energy storage systems, we are accelerating our global expansion into the data centre and commercial and industrial building markets, including North America,” said JongWoo Kim, President of LS ELECTRIC Power Electric. “Through our collaboration with Honeywell, we will deliver differentiated solutions that enable big tech data centres and large building operators to achieve both energy efficiency and reliability.”

Image caption: Billal Hammoud, President and CEO of Honeywell Building Automation (centre left), with JongWoo Kim, President of LS ELECTRIC Power Electric (centre right) as well as Honeywell and LS ELECTRIC team members. Image supplied.