Electric Power Systems (EPS), an Austrian supplier of power and cooling systems for data centres, on Monday unveiled Dendora, a modular prefabricated data‑centre pod with a wooden structural frame sourced from Binderholz in Austria. EPS said the modules are intended to reduce embodied carbon and shorten supply chains by using locally sourced timber.
The Dendora pods deliver between 10 kW and 40 kW of IT capacity, employ energy‑efficient free‑cooling and low‑global‑warming‑potential refrigerants such as propane, and can be paired with on‑site solar generation. EPS also said the modules can export waste heat to nearby buildings, thereby improving overall site efficiency.
“Our vision was to develop a data centre based on renewable materials, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and thus make a tangible contribution to a more climate‑friendly IT infrastructure,” said Josef Frühwirth, managing director of EPS.
Dendora expands EPS’s range beyond its metal containerised units (12–58 kW; 20- and 40-foot). Initial deliveries target Austria and neighbours, with wider release tied to demand and certification. Pricing is configuration-dependent.
Timber has been increasingly trialled as a structural material in low‑carbon data‑centre projects. Operators in Sweden and Iceland have used cross‑laminated timber and other mass‑timber products, and major technology firms have begun experimenting with timber elements in recent facilities. Equipment makers such as Vertiv and start‑ups including Prior1 have also introduced timber‑framed modules.
Safety and insurance remain the chief areas of scrutiny. Critics point to past data‑centre fires in buildings that contained timber, while advocates note that engineered wood products such as glulam and CLT exhibit predictable charring behaviour and can retain load-bearing capacity when designed and protected in accordance with applicable standards. EPS said the Dendora design addresses fire performance through material selection, compartmentation, and compliance with safety codes, but it did not provide independent test data at launch.
An independent fire-safety specialist said engineered timber can perform reliably in many building types when detailed to standard, but urged transparency about fire tests and the measures used, such as compartmentation and product certification: “Publish the test reports and involve insurers early; that’s the only way to move timber from concept to widespread use in mission-critical infrastructure,” the specialist said.
Founded in 1998, EPS supplies integrated data‑centre systems including power, cooling, racks, cabling, networking, and uninterruptible power supplies. The company has delivered projects for LAOLA1 in Vienna, Voestalpine Group, Würth Austria, and Silicon Austria Labs.
