Japan's largest vending machine manufacturer, Fuji Electric, has adapted its refrigeration technology to cool energy-intensive AI data centres, claiming an 85% reduction in energy consumption. The Tokyo-based company, which produces 80% of Japan's vending machines, developed the ejector system using CO₂ refrigerant after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear meltdown triggered demands for energy efficiency. Then-Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara called for vending machine shutdowns during the power crunch, prompting Fuji Electric and Toyota supplier Denso to innovate.
The technology eliminates compressors by using waste heat to drive refrigerant through a precisely shaped nozzle. Though too costly for vending machines priced at a few thousand dollars, the system is now targeted at data centres where cooling accounts for 30-40% of energy use. Fuji Electric aims to sell over ¥10bn ($61mn) of ejector systems by 2030, adding to its existing ¥100bn in annual data centre component sales.
The company's shares have risen nearly 47% in the past year, valuing it at $13.9bn. Dell'Oro research director Alex Cordovil calls the technology "promising" but "genuinely emerging," noting competition from absorption chillers by Kawasaki, Ebara, and Yazaki. Goldman Sachs analyst Ryo Harada questions Fuji's ability to penetrate the large US data centre market.
Source: Financial Times Companies · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing