Oleon as finalist for the Essenscia Innovation Award with QLOE™: A Plant-Based Breakthrough in Data Center Cooling

We are proud to have been nominated for the Essenscia Innovation Award with QLOE™; a next-generation plant-based immersion cooling fluid for data centers. While we did not take home the award, this nomination recognizes Oleon’s commitment to innovation and sustainability in addressing one of the digital era’s most pressing challenges: energy and water consumption in data center cooling.

Cooling Data Centers Without Heating the Planet

Data centers are the backbone of our digital world, yet they consume enormous amounts of energy and water. As the world increasingly relies on AI, data centers have had to become more powerful, generating more heat and energy. Today, cooling systems account for up to 40% of a data center’s electricity use and billions of liters of water annually. Oleon’s QLOE™ product range offers a revolutionary alternative: a plant-based immersion cooling fluid that drastically reduces energy consumption and eliminates water use, while ensuring safety and performance at scale. Oleon’s ability to produce and offer these products globally, ensures that sustainable cooling solutions are accessible wherever they are needed.

A European Innovation with Global Impact

A European Innovation with Global Impact Developed as the result of a blue-sky exercise within Oleon, and followed by years of intense R&D activity, QLOE™ was developed, combining cutting-edge engineering with renewable chemistry. “We succeeded in developing a liquid that is non-toxic, non-hazardous, biodegradable and fully compatible with high-density computing environments, including AI workloads.”, explains Beau Van Vaerenbergh, QLOE™ Technical Program Leader. “By enabling efficient heat transfer and extending server lifespan, QLOE™ helps data centers lower their carbon footprint and operational costs, without compromise.” To subject the liquid to real-world testing under AI and high-density computing workloads, several immersion cooling test units are being successfully deployed at Oleon’s Venette plant in France, making it the largest deployment of its kind in Europe.

“In Belgium and across Europe, we have a tremendous asset: talent, knowledge, and a strong industrial base. To stay globally relevant, we must turn these strengths into groundbreaking solutions faster, which requires close collaboration between companies, research institutions, and policymakers,” says Douwina Bosscher, Oleon’s Chief Technology Officer. At Oleon, we innovate to deliver safe and sustainable solutions that enable IT systems and energy transitions, positioning ourselves as a critical technology player in globally transforming markets. “We are proud that our innovations contribute to Europe’s overall competitiveness,” Bosscher adds.

Our Commitment to Keep Innovating

Being nominated for the Essenscia Innovation Award underscores Oleon’s mission to pioneer solutions that protect both technological progress and the planet. “Cooling systems are no longer just a technical challenge, they’re an environmental priority,” says Maarten Trautmann, Data Center Fluids Lead at Oleon. “With QLOE™, we’re proving that sustainability and performance can go hand in hand. We will continue to innovate, paving the way to a greener digital future.”