Ep. 183 Anton Prenneis, Chief Revenue Officer of Nimbus Advanced Process Cooling

Episode 183 of the Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast features an interview with Anton Prenneis, Chief Revenue Officer at Nimbus Advanced Process Cooling.

Identify how adiabatic and dry cooling work and where Nimbus fits in the heat-rejection stack.
Compare trade-offs between cooling towers, chillers, and adiabatic systems for water and energy use.
Recognize why water usage effectiveness (WUE) and permitting are now board-level risks.
Understand how new high‑temperature chips (e.g., Vera Rubin) shift cooling requirements and reduce chiller dependency.
Map practical scenarios where dry or adiabatic cooling can eliminate or dramatically cut water use.
Differentiate messaging for engineers, CFOs, and real‑estate owners to improve buyer engagement.
Design micro events (lunch & learns, local seminars) that educate technical buyers and build trust.
Optimize sales roles to act as curators/moderators who bring internal SMEs and partners into customer conversations.
Spot common misconceptions about cooling (all‑or‑nothing thinking, water myths) and how to correct them.
Frame community-first engagement strategies and community benefit concepts to reduce NIMBY risk.
Explore adjacent innovations (atmospheric water generation, waste-heat reuse, water buffering) for water-constrained markets.
Assess modular and prefab trends that speed time-to-revenue and standardize repeatable deployments.
Prioritize cross-discipline systems thinking across compute, power, and cooling to avoid siloed decisions.
Adopt a humility-first GTM posture: stay curious, listen, and collaborate to rebuild trust with stakeholders.

Host:
Joshua Feinberg, CEO
DCSMI

Special Guest:
Anton Prenneis, Chief Revenue Officer
Nimbus Advanced Process Cooling

Anton Prenneis, CRO of Nimbus Advanced Process Cooling, discusses the importance of education and human connection in the data center industry. Nimbus specializes in adiabatic and dry cooling, which uses 95% less water than traditional cooling towers and 30-50% less electricity than chillers. He highlights the growing importance of water usage efficiency (WUE) and the impact of new chips like Vera Rubin, which can be cooled with hot water, expanding Nimbus's market potential. Prenneis emphasizes the need for collaboration, authenticity, and a holistic approach to data center infrastructure to address community concerns and drive innovation.

Outline

Education and Human Connection in Data Center Conferences

Anton Prenneis discusses the importance of education in data center conferences, emphasizing that many attendees are unaware of key concepts.
He highlights the value of hallway conversations and face-to-face interactions in building connections, especially in the AI industry.
Anton introduces himself as the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) of Nimbus Advanced Process Cooling and sets the stage for the podcast episode.
Joshua Feinberg welcomes Anton to the Data Center Go to Market Podcast and asks him to explain Nimbus's role in the data center stack.

Nimbus's Role in Data Center Cooling

Anton explains that Nimbus focuses on heat rejection outside the data center, which is often overlooked compared to internal cooling methods.
He describes adiabatic and dry cooling systems, which use less water and electricity compared to traditional cooling towers and chillers.
Anton provides a detailed explanation of how adiabatic cooling works, including the use of mist to cool air and the benefits of using these systems.
He mentions the water-energy nexus trade-off and the high water usage of cooling towers, especially in water-stressed areas like Phoenix.

Challenges and Opportunities in Data Center Cooling

Anton discusses the increasing scrutiny on water usage in data centers, especially in regions like Northern Virginia.
He mentions the impact of community opposition on data center projects, citing the example of Project Blue in Tucson.
Anton talks about the changes in data center cooling due to new chips like Vera Rubin, which can be cooled with hot water, reducing the need for chillers.
He explains how Nimbus's adiabatic and dry cooling systems can be used globally, especially in regions with hot climates.

Building Relationships in the AI Data Center Ecosystem

Anton shares his experience of joining Nimbus in January and the importance of building relationships in the data center industry.
He emphasizes the value of in-person interactions, such as lunch and learns, over digital communication.
Anton highlights the need for education and understanding of adiabatic cooling among engineers and other stakeholders.
He discusses the challenges of building relationships in a rapidly changing industry and the importance of staying curious and open to learning.

The Evolution of Sales and Marketing in Data Centers

Anton and Joshua discuss the shift from traditional sales methods to more educational and collaborative approaches.
They talk about the importance of micro events, such as lunch and learns, in building trust and relationships with customers.
Anton mentions the need for sales teams to adapt to the educated buyer's journey and focus on outcomes and value rather than just product features.
They discuss the challenges of maintaining trust in the data center industry, especially with the rise of AI and the associated fears and misconceptions.

The Role of Community and Trust in Data Center Projects

Anton talks about the importance of addressing community concerns and building trust in data center projects.
He mentions the concept of community benefit agreements and the need for data centers to contribute positively to their local communities.
Anton discusses the politicization of community concerns and the need for a more collaborative approach to data center development.
He highlights the role of innovation in addressing these challenges, such as on-site generation and microgrids.

Future Trends in Data Center Cooling and AI Infrastructure

Anton predicts that the rise of new chips like Vera Rubin will significantly impact data center cooling and reduce the need for chillers.
He discusses the potential for treating water as an asset and the development of water buffering tanks for data centers.
Anton mentions the potential for integrating atmospheric water generation with adiabatic cooling systems.
He emphasizes the importance of staying curious and open to new ideas and technologies in the rapidly evolving data center industry.

Advice for Data Center Go-to-Market Leaders

Anton advises data center go-to-market leaders to be humble, authentic, and curious.
He emphasizes the importance of learning from customers and partners and thinking collaboratively.
Anton highlights the need for alignment around the what, how, and why of data center projects.
He encourages leaders to maintain a sense of wonder and stay open to new ideas and approaches.

Closing Thoughts and Contact Information

Anton shares his contact information and encourages listeners to reach out to him on LinkedIn.
He mentions that Nimbus's website has more information about their data center value proposition.
Anton expresses his willingness to collaborate with prospective customers and partners.
Joshua Feinberg thanks Anton for his insights and concludes the podcast episode.

Guest Resources

Also Mentioned During Episode

Ep. 40 Mark Bjornsgaard, Founder and CEO at Deep Green Technologies | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

Ep. 106 Matt Bagwell, Chief Marketing Officer, Chief Sustainability Officer at Deep Green | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast

Resources

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Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast, Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast | Guest Interview

Ep. 183 Anton Prenneis, Chief Revenue Officer of Nimbus Advanced Process Cooling | Data Center Go-to-Market Podcast