The RISE ICE (Infrastructure and Cloud Research and Test Environment) Datacenter in Luleå, Sweden, is marking a significant milestone: 10 years of groundbreaking research, collaboration, and innovation in sustainable digital infrastructure. Over the past decade, ICE has evolved from a bold vision into a leading full-scale research facility, shaping the future of data centers through cutting-edge research and innovation projects, international partnerships, and a commitment to sustainability. As we celebrate this anniversary, it’s impossible to overlook the center’s pivotal role as an Open Compute Project (OCP) Experience Center which is a collaboration that has amplified its impact on the global stage.
RISE is Sweden’s research institute. We help industry and the public sector develop products, processes or entire operations for a sustainable future.
With applied research, technical infrastructures for development, testing and demonstration, and interdisciplinary expertise, we offer support and knowledge all the way – from idea to innovation and entry into the market.
Through our assignments and collaborations, we contribute to faster transition and increased competitiveness for businesses, society and Sweden.
A Decade of Transformation
When ICE was established in 2016, it set out to redefine what a data center could be. Today, it stands as a testbed for digitalization and IT infrastructure, offering a unique environment for testing and experimentation across the entire stack, from hardware to cloud applications. The facility’s growth has been fueled by a mission to drive sustainability, efficiency, and resilience in digital infrastructure, and its partnership with the Open Compute Project (OCP) has been instrumental in achieving this vision.
ICE’s journey has been marked by collaboration. From the beginning, founding partners like Ericsson, ABB, Vattenfall, and Facebook (Meta) have played a crucial role in its direction of growth. Notably, Facebook donated OCP equipment, creating a springboard for many of the center’s studies and positioning ICE as a hub for open, vendor-neutral innovation. This collaboration has not only accelerated research but also fostered a culture of transparency and shared knowledge aligning with core tenets of the OCP Community.
OCP is central to the mission of ICE
As an OCP Experience Center, ICE has become a global leader in advancing open hardware and scalable data center solutions. The center’s alignment with some of the core OCP’s goals, namely efficiency, scalability, and sustainability, has allowed ICE to pioneer projects that push the boundaries of what is possible in data center design and operation.
The OCP Future Technologies Symposium is currently led by Jon Summers, a key figure in RISE’s data center research. Under his leadership, the Symposium has become an excellent platform for exploring emerging technologies that have the potential to reshape the data center industry in the next five years. From liquid cooling to AI-driven optimization, the symposium highlights how open collaboration can engender innovation at an unprecedented pace.
A key project manager at ICE, Çağatay Yilmaz, is additionally co-lead of the OCP Regional Community Project Europe. He has been instrumental in strengthening the ties between RISE, OCP, and the broader European tech ecosystem. His has helped position ICE as a bridge between research and industry, ensuring that the center’s innovations have real-world applications and global reach.
Key Achievements and Collaborations
Over the past decade, ICE has been at the forefront of sustainable and efficient data center solutions. Here are some of the highlights:
1. Sustainable Energy and Heat Reuse
ICE has been a pioneer in repurposing waste heat from data centers. Projects like “Data Center Greenhouse” demonstrate how excess heat can be used to heat greenhouses, creating a symbiotic relationship between digital infrastructure and agriculture. This initiative not only reduces energy waste but also supports local food production, showcasing the potential for data centers to contribute positively to their communities. ICE also demonstrated an innovative proof-of-concept making use of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells to power a micro-edge liquid cooled data center with heat recovery into a local heat network running on regionally produced biogas and this demonstrator was funded by the EU project called WeDistrict.
2. Edge Computing and 5G Integration
The ICE Edge project is developing sustainable, energy-efficient platforms for edge computing, particularly for AI and 5G applications. In collaboration with Telia, RISE has created a testbed for open, secure, and vendor-neutral edge computing in 5G networks, accelerating Sweden’s innovation in this critical area. This work aligns perfectly with OCP’s mission to democratize access to cutting-edge infrastructure.
3. Open Hardware and Innovation
ICE’s status as an OCP Experience Center has allowed it to host and contribute to open hardware initiatives. The center’s use of OCP servers, such as the Open Compute Windmill and Leopard servers, has enabled researchers and industry partners to experiment with high-density, energy-efficient designs. This open approach has not only reduced costs but also fostered interoperability and flexibility in data center deployments.
4. International Recognition
ICE’s contributions have not gone unnoticed. The center received a Gold Label trophy at the I-Spaces Digital Innovation Hub ceremony and was shortlisted for the DCD Global Awards 2022 and winning project categories in 2017 and 2019. In 2022 ICE was also recognised for its innovation in Holistic Cooling Control by an EARTO innovation award; a control approach that was developed and tested by the EU funded BodenType DC project. It has also been recognized as a Platinum-level I-Space by the Big Data Value Association (BDVA), a testament to its maturity and impact in areas like infrastructure, data, services, and sustainability.
A Celebration of Collaboration
The 10th anniversary of ICE is not just a celebration of the facility itself but of the important ecosystem it has helped build. The center’s work with OCP, industry leaders, and academic institutions has created a vibrant community dedicated to advancing digital infrastructure. The OCP Summits, both global and EMEA, have enabled RISE along with its academic and industrial partners to showcase many of their OCP aligned testbed results, exemplifying how collaboration can drive real-world impact.
Jon Summers and Çağatay Yilmaz’s leadership engagement within OCP has been a strong part of this success. Their efforts have ensured that ICE remains at the forefront of future technologies, from sustainable cooling solutions to AI-optimized data centers. As Çagatay noted in a recent panel, “The data center of the future will be more sustainable, and open collaboration is the key to making it happen.”
Looking Ahead: The Next 10 Years
As ICE celebrates its first decade, the focus is firmly on the future. The center is poised to continue its leadership in sustainable digital infrastructure, with ongoing projects in autonomous data centers, ultra-dense digital systems, novel cooling and power technologies, and smart grid integration. The collaboration with OCP will remain a cornerstone of this journey, ensuring that ICE stays at the cutting edge of open, scalable, and efficient data center solutions.
With strong continued engagement with OCP as an experience center and support of the OCP Future Technologies Symposium, regional community projects, and innovation hubs, the ICE datacenter intends to serve as a platform for sharing knowledge, testing new ideas, and driving industry-wide adoption of best practices.
Join the Celebration
The 10-year anniversary event on June 10, 2026, in Luleå will be an opportunity to reflect on the past decade and look ahead to the future. The program includes keynote speeches, partner perspectives, and discussions on the next wave of sustainable digital infrastructure. It’s a chance to celebrate the people, projects, and partnerships that have made ICE a global leader in data center innovation.
As Tor Björn Minde, Head of the Data Center Systems Unit at RISE, puts it: “The mission of ICE has always been to make a difference in the world of digitalization through innovation. Over the past 10 years, we’ve seen how open collaboration can turn bold ideas into reality and this is where we align strongly with the ethos of OCP.”
Here’s to the next 10 years of innovation, sustainability, and open collaboration!
Want to learn more about ICE’s projects or how to get involved? Visit RISE ICE Data Center .