Dr. Kashif Nawaz
Abstract Title
Turning Heat into Opportunity: Next-Generation Waste Heat Recovery for Data Centers and Computational Ecosystems
The exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, and high-performance computing (HPC) is driving an unprecedented rise in global data center energy demand. While advancements in hardware efficiency continue, thermal management remains a dominant challenge, with more than 30–40% of total energy consumption devoted to cooling. Most of this energy is ultimately rejected as low- to medium-grade waste heat, representing a largely untapped opportunity for enhancing overall system efficiency, reducing operational costs, and improving sustainability. This seminar explores the scientific and technological frontiers of waste heat recovery and utilization for next-generation computational infrastructure—enabling a paradigm shift from thermal rejection to thermal valorization. The discussion will cover integrated strategies that couple advanced cooling technologies (two-phase immersion cooling, cold plates, and hybrid air–liquid systems) with heat recovery architectures capable of producing useful thermal energy streams for nearby applications such as district heating, water heating, and thermally driven processes. The seminar will highlight innovations in compact high-effectiveness heat exchangers, phase-change thermal storage, and high-temperature heat pumps (HTHPs) as enablers for repurposing waste heat across sectors. In addition, it will present the role of digital twins and AI-driven control frameworks in optimizing dynamic thermal networks that link data centers with industrial and building systems. Drawing on ongoing research and development at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and collaborating institutions, case studies will illustrate how recovered heat from AI and HPC data centers can be utilized for industrial drying, absorption cooling, and process heating. The session aims to stimulate cross-sector collaboration and identify pathways toward thermally integrated, carbon-conscious computational ecosystems that redefine data centers not as passive energy consumers but as active participants in the future clean-energy landscape.
Biography
Dr. Kashif Nawaz is the Section Head for Building Technologies Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), where he leads multidisciplinary teams advancing the science and technology of energy conversion, thermal management, and efficient building and industrial systems. With expertise spanning fundamental heat transfer, system integration, and materials innovation, his work bridges early-stage research and large-scale demonstration to strengthen U.S. leadership in clean, reliable, and affordable energy technologies. Dr. Nawaz serves as the co-lead for the THERMS (Transformational Heat Energy Research for Multisector Solutions) initiative—an ORNL Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program aimed at accelerating breakthroughs in next-generation thermal management, energy storage, and heat recovery systems. Under this initiative, he is leading efforts in advanced heat exchangers, high-temperature heat pumps, and multifunctional materials for cross-sector deployment, including industrial process heat, HVAC, and data center cooling. He also co-leads ORNL’s data center and computational infrastructure thermal management activities, fostering collaborations with major industry partners such as NVIDIA, HP, Carrier, Trane, and Vertiv. His team is developing modular testbeds, digital twins, and system-integration frameworks that enable waste-heat recovery, immersion cooling, and AI-optimized control architectures for next-generation high-performance computing (HPC) and AI-driven systems. Dr. Nawaz earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. He is a Fellow of ASME and ASHRAE, author of over 250 peer-reviewed publications, and an inventor on multiple patents. His contributions have been recognized with six R&D 100 Awards, ASHRAE’s Exceptional and Distinguished Service Awards, and numerous honors for advancing innovative technologies in thermal systems and industrial energy efficiency.
Contact
nawazk@ornl.gov