Mulfingen / Heilbronn, October 21, 2025 At the groundbreaking ceremony for the IPAI Campus in Heilbronn, attended by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Klaus Geißdörfer, CEO of the ebm‑papst Group, remarked: “It is a stroke of luck to have an AI center with such charisma right on our doorstep. The IPAI Campus is making an impression worldwide. It allows us to be at the forefront, but time is running out.”

ebm‑papst has been a member of the Innovation Park for Artificial Intelligence for about two years and was among the first companies to join the rapidly growing Heilbronn ecosystem. As a technology leader in fans and motors, the company contributes its specialized expertise: While tomorrow’s AI software applications are being developed at the IPAI, ebm‑papst is focused on advancing the hardware infrastructure needed to run these applications with minimal energy consumption.

The company believes this will become increasingly important in the months ahead. The demand for high-performance data centers is skyrocketing; the International Energy Agency (IEA) predicts that global electricity consumption by data centers will more than double to 945 terawatt-hours by 2030, driven largely by the AI boom. In Europe alone, an increase of 45 terawatt-hours per year is expected. Just days ago, the EU announced multi-billion-euro investments to build new AI data centers, supporting the development of six so-called gigafactories.

NEXAIRA utilizes AI and makes products and systems with AI even more efficient

One response from ebm‑papst to these challenges is the new NEXAIRA platform. By combining highly efficient fans with intelligent data analysis and motor control, NEXAIRA can cool down AI data centers currently under construction using roughly half the energy previously required. The technology is already in use and has proven its effectiveness, achieving these savings at a data center in Frankfurt. Overall, the energy consumption of a data center can be reduced by around 15 percent—a significant figure given the projected terawatt hours needed to power AI services.

“Software and hardware are two sides of the same coin,” emphasizes Geißdörfer. “The AI applications of the future are being developed at the IPAI, and we ensure that they can also run efficiently.” Some of NEXAIRA’s AI components are co-developed by employees working at the six workstations in ebm‑papst's IPAI office. There, collaboration with colleagues from other companies is part of everyday life, often facilitated through IPAI’s Affinity Circles, topic-based networks covering marketing, HR, legal, and other areas in which ebm‑papst is actively involved.

Collaboration within the Heilbronn ecosystem has also sparked new initiatives such as Next Level Mittelstand. Together with gripping technology specialist Schunk from Lauffen, cloud provider StackIT from the Schwarz Group in Neckarsulm, and others, ebm‑papst founded this company to strengthen knowledge exchange around AI adoption in medium-sized enterprises. The initiative now includes nearly 20 members across Germany, including other companies such as Pepperl+Fuchs, Bosch Rexroth, Lenze, and Phoenix Contact. “The IPAI, the Schwarz Group, and we as a family-owned company make Heilbronn a unique location for industrial AI innovation,” explains Daniel Boese, Executive Vice President Strategy, Global Product Management, Data & AI at ebm‑papst.

Geißdörfer: IPAI will be crucial for Europe's development

ebm‑papst CEO Klaus Geißdörfer adds: “I firmly believe that Europe currently has a historic opportunity. With AI and digitalization, we can reclaim a leading role if we combine our strengths: excellent research, great talent, and strong values.”

Jan Philippiak, representing the ebm‑papst shareholder families, also attended the groundbreaking ceremony in Heilbronn alongside Geißdörfer. He emphasizes: “We are consciously investing in Germany and in our region as an AI hub because the ideal conditions are being created here. We have both the expertise and the dedicated employees. The IPAI is a major draw in this regard.”

Artificial intelligence now plays an integral role across all levels at ebm‑papst, from internal processes and knowledge management to the development of new business models. The company’s focus remains on the fan: since last year, research and development activities at headquarters in Mulfingen have been significantly expanded. More than 60 years after its early successes with efficient, long-lasting fans, ebm‑papst is exploring new technological frontiers, from high-performance compressors to next-generation cooling solutions that also use liquids. Geißdörfer is confident that these innovations will be central to the company’s future in data center cooling.

He concludes: “The IPAI is just one outstanding component of the strategy pursued by the Dieter Schwarz Foundation and the Schwarz Group, supported by the state, federal government, and EU.” A unique ecosystem is now taking shape in Heilbronn bringing together players ranging from chip and AI developers to medium-sized companies that are redefining their roles in the global market. “With the IPAI, we are demonstrating that in Germany, we can think big and build big. That is the right signal for a new beginning.”