Partnering for Regeneration: Turning waste heat into sustainable impact

Guest blog by Thomas Parker, Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer at WA3RM

When we founded WA3RM, our vision was simple yet ambitious: to connect industries with companies capable of reusing industrial waste to fuel circular production and sustainable development. The data center industry is one such case in point. Often seen as energy-intensive industrial facilities, these sites can (and should) be at the forefront of driving sustainable development.

Coming from a background in physics and environmental management, while also having worked on some of the world’s most powerful neutron sources, I saw first-hand how large-scale scientific and computing facilities could be designed responsibly and even create positive impact. This vision is now coming to life through our collaboration with atNorth at their DEN02 campus in Varde, Denmark.

DEN02 will sit on a 174-hectare greenfield site and is truly a blueprint for the future of data center design – caring for unused resources and re-using them as much as possible. The site reflects atNorth’s commitment to sustainable innovation with its highly energy efficient design, state-of-the-art heat reuse technology, and strategically chosen location in Denmark. This isn’t just a proof of concept; it’s a scalable model that can transform how energy-intensive facilities contribute to local food production and climate goals.

From Ambition to Impact: bringing waste to life

From the start, we knew that achieving meaningful impact required scale, professionalism, and shared commitment – atNorth had all three. Their ambition to build future-ready facilities – designing infrastructure that benefits both operations and the communities around it – aligned perfectly with our mission to create industrial and societal symbiosis.

Our approach to “bringing waste to life” is grounded in circular economy principles. Heat that would otherwise be lost now warms the greenhouse, supporting the growth of tomatoes, cucumbers, leafy greens, and peppers. Rainwater is harvested to meet approximately three-quarters of the greenhouse’s irrigation needs, further minimizing resource consumption.

In Denmark, we are collaborating with atNorth on the DEN02 data center campus in Varde Kommune. This facility, with an initial capacity of 250MW, will recycle excess heat to power a large-scale, ultra-modern greenhouse spanning 40 hectares for vegetable production. This project is a true reflection of both companies’ commitment to the environment, bringing circular economy principles, sustainable building practices, nature regeneration and local community engagement together to set a new standard for integrated, sustainable industrial ecosystems.

Working hand-in-hand with the community

The project also creates local employment opportunities: depending on crop, each 10-hectare greenhouse unit can support up to 100 people, from operational to specialist positions in areas like heat recovery, climate control, and biological pest management. By embedding expertise and responsibility into the workforce, we’re creating jobs that are continuous, meaningful, and locally rooted for regenerative development.

A key lesson from this project has been the importance of municipal engagement. Varde Kommune has been proactive from day one, attending planning meetings, asking detailed questions, and helping to shape solutions. Working hand in hand with the municipality from the start has been key to helping address challenges, drive communication, streamline processes, and ensure the project aligns with community needs. Their involvement ensures that the project benefits not just the companies involved but the wider local community, integrating infrastructure, employment, and environmental impact in a cohesive way.

A blueprint for the future

DEN02 isn’t just a project – it’s a model for future collaboration between data centers and sustainable enterprises. By teaming up with industries and businesses like atNorth alongside investors and local communities, we can develop facilities where industrial waste streams are reused in responsible and resilient production. This circular approach creates local jobs, supports self-sufficient food production, and fosters a healthier future where resources are used efficiently, and industries are designed for circularity.

Our goal over the next 5 to 10 years is clear: to move the needle on sustainability at a national scale, demonstrating that industrial facilities can contribute meaningfully to society and the environment. Through partnerships like ours with atNorth, we’re proving that regeneration isn’t just aspirational but achievable.

At WA3RM, we believe the path to sustainable development goes through enterprise: science creates capability but bringing it to life requires committed partnerships that think holistically about people, technology, and the environment. By scaling these approaches, sharing our learnings, and inspiring other industries to follow suit, we aim to turn individual projects like DEN02 into a movement that can make a real impact on the sustainability agenda.

For more information on WA3RM, please visit www.wa3rm.se

Read more about the atNorth datacenter blueprint