Schneider Electric has connected its NVIDIA-based digital twin to a live AI data centre in Portugal, modelling power and cooling alongside the site’s computing needs. The pilot’s next test is commercial: Schneider intends to bring the system to market next year, though it is not yet generally available.
NVIDIA Watch analysis
What happened
The twin is operating at Nscale’s SIN01 facility, the first building at Start Campus’s SINES data-centre campus. Capacity Media reports that it combines visualisation in NVIDIA Omniverse with Schneider’s ETAP power and EcoStruxure IT cooling simulations, linked by AVEVA software.
Schneider told Capacity that an operator can model replacing a planned Blackwell rack with a Vera Rubin rack and see recommendations or deviations from the power and cooling simulations. The report describes Sines as the first end-to-end application of the technology at a live site. Schneider says it intends to commercialise its Immersive Twin through next year, but has not yet set out the exact route to market.
Why it matters
AI data centres are being designed around fast-changing hardware and tightly coupled power, cooling and computing requirements. A model that tests a proposed change before equipment arrives could help operators spot a mismatch earlier, rather than discovering it during construction or commissioning.
The practical step here is from a reference design to a live-site pilot, not proof of lower costs or better efficiency. Capacity reports no published comparison between the twin’s predictions and measured operating results. That evidence will matter more than a convincing digital walk-through.
Our read
This is a more tangible milestone than another blueprint: the simulations are being connected to a real facility and its operating data. The commercial plan gives operators a reason to pay attention, but the case is still being made. Before treating the twin as a planning essential, buyers should want to see how accurately it predicts what happens on the floor.
What to watch
- Whether Schneider brings the Immersive Twin to market next year, and on what terms.
- How closely predicted power and cooling behaviour matches measured conditions at Sines.
- Whether operators publish results on commissioning time, defects or energy use.
- How much of the system can be standardised across sites with different equipment and layouts.
Discussion spark: What should operators require as proof before using a digital twin to guide major data-centre design decisions: accurate predictions at one live site, or results repeated across several facilities?
Sources and evidence
- Nvidia and Schneider test a digital twin to rehearse AI data center upgrades – MarketScale (26 October 2026, 16:58 UTC)
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