Anax Power diversifies supplier base for scalable, emission-free data centers
CYPRESS, Calif., March 17, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sapphire Technologies, a leading manufacturer of pressure energy recovery solutions, today announced a strategic partnership with Anax Power to deploy an integrated power and cooling system for distributed data centers.
Under the partnership, Sapphire will supply its FreeSpin® In-line Turboexpander, which Anax will integrate into a co-located data center facility designed to convert excess pipeline pressure into emission-free power and cooling. Anax will build, own, and operate the project. Capital equipment is currently being packaged by Anax Power, with commissioning expected later this year.
A New Infrastructure Model for AI Compute
Unlike traditional data center development, which requires bottlenecked utility interconnections and multi-year transmission upgrades, Anax’s infrastructure-first model co-locates modular compute facilities directly with existing gas pipeline assets – unlocking multiple pathways for energy redundancy. By recovering otherwise wasted pressure energy, the system generates electricity without combustion or emissions. Simultaneously, high-capacity cooling is produced and used to efficiently manage server heat load.
This integrated approach to power and cooling enables industry-leading Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) metrics by fulfilling both sides of a data center’s energy demand – power supply and thermal management – in a single system. Once commissioned, the pressure power plant will supply power and cooling to servers managed by Magellan Scientific.
Unlocking Thousands of Distributed Data Centers
This deployment models how integrated power and cooling can rapidly scale distributed data center capacity in North America. Thousands of pressure regulating stations in the natural gas transmission network are suitable to site pressure power plants. Each of these locations can be operationalized in months with Sapphire’s FreeSpin® systems to provide low-cost power and cooling for edge AI inference, modular HPC deployments, and distributed cloud infrastructure. Typical installations provide up to 3 megawatts of electricity and up to 35 million BTU of cooling capacity.
“Data centers face continued challenges with power availability and thermal management,” said Freddie Sarhan, CEO of Sapphire Technologies. “This project demonstrates how pressure energy recovery delivers both electricity and cooling capacity in a single system, supporting data center growth through smarter infrastructure design. Turboexpanders are the right energy building block for distributed data centers, and Anax provides a repeatable template that can be deployed at scale.”
Emission-Free Power for the Next Wave of AI
“Pressure energy is one of the most overlooked sources of emission-free power,” said Michael Longo, CEO of Anax Power. “Our partnership with Sapphire represents a first-of-its-kind integration of turboexpander generation with data center infrastructure. By combining emission-free power and cooling, Anax is poised to quickly build a fleet of modular, distributed data centers with industry-leading PUE performance.”
Longo added, “Anax provides pipeline operators a no-risk development model – we finance, build, and operate the system – while monetizing the energy through high-value digital infrastructure services.”
The companies expect to share additional updates on the project following system commissioning.
Sapphire Technologies develops and manufactures modular power generation and cooling solutions for data centers, gas infrastructure, and utilities. Since 2021, Sapphire’s FreeSpin® In-line Turboexpanders have been deployed in the energy sector to deliver reliable, clean generation. Scalable from kilowatt- to megawatt-class installations, Sapphire’s systems help infrastructure owners rapidly add new power and cooling capacity, improve operational efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and lower electricity costs while creating new revenue opportunities. For more information, visit www.sapphiretechnologies.com.
Anax Power is a New Jersey-based clean energy technology company that builds, markets, and develops projects around the Anax Turboexpander. Anax is headquartered in Wharton, New Jersey, one of the state’s economic opportunity zones.
