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E10 - AI Cooling And Data Centers With Cliff Federspiel
In this episode, we sit down with Cliff Federspiel, President and CTO of Vigilent, to explore how AI driven control systems are reshaping data center cooling, energy use, and operational reliability. Cliff shares his journey from academic research and HVAC controls to founding Vigilent during the 2008 financial crisis, and why predictive, model based AI is very different from large language models. The conversation dives into data center realities such as rising rack densities, liquid cooling, power constraints, and the operational value of reducing alarm noise. Along the way, Cliff reflects on leadership, transparency, convincing others to believe, and the hard lessons learned building a company through uncertain times.
Chapters
- 00:56 - Welcome Cliff Federspiel
- 01:02 - Get to Know You in 60 Seconds
- 04:14 - What Vigilent Does
- 06:14 - Founding Vigilent
- 09:28 - Energy Versus Reliability
- 13:28 - Visualization And Sensors
- 18:35 - AI Hallucinations Explained
- 35:00 - Data Center War Story
- 39:06 - Top Picks
Get to Know Cliff Federspiel in 60 Seconds
- Late nights or early mornings? - Early mornings
- Sweet or salty? - Salty
- Introvert or extrovert? - Introvert
- Favorite food? - Peanut butter
- Favorite sport? - Endurance cycling
- First job? - Painting house numbers on curbs
- Secret talent? - Convincing people to believe
- Meetings or email? - Meetings
- Air cooling or liquid cooling? - Liquid cooling
- Who would play you in a series? - Daniel Craig
Data Center War Story
A skeptical operations team, a resistant BMS vendor, and a live decision to turn on AI control created a tense moment where trust, preparation, and real time proof would determine whether the deployment succeeded or failed.
Top Picks
- Beware of Phone Theft While Traveling (link not verified) A practical travel lesson from London where phone snatching is common, reminding travelers to keep devices secure and out of sight.
- Waymo Autonomous Rides (link not verified) An example of self driving technology done well, highlighting how AI can improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
- Tesla Full Self Driving (link not verified) A consumer example of AI reducing cognitive load by handling routine driving tasks while keeping humans engaged.
Where to find Cliff Federspiel?
Cliff Federspiel can be found at:
- Vigilent
Resources Mentioned
- Vigilent
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
View all episodes
By BaxtelIn this episode, we sit down with Cliff Federspiel, President and CTO of Vigilent, to explore how AI driven control systems are reshaping data center cooling, energy use, and operational reliability. Cliff shares his journey from academic research and HVAC controls to founding Vigilent during the 2008 financial crisis, and why predictive, model based AI is very different from large language models. The conversation dives into data center realities such as rising rack densities, liquid cooling, power constraints, and the operational value of reducing alarm noise. Along the way, Cliff reflects on leadership, transparency, convincing others to believe, and the hard lessons learned building a company through uncertain times.
Chapters
- 00:56 - Welcome Cliff Federspiel
- 01:02 - Get to Know You in 60 Seconds
- 04:14 - What Vigilent Does
- 06:14 - Founding Vigilent
- 09:28 - Energy Versus Reliability
- 13:28 - Visualization And Sensors
- 18:35 - AI Hallucinations Explained
- 35:00 - Data Center War Story
- 39:06 - Top Picks
Get to Know Cliff Federspiel in 60 Seconds
- Late nights or early mornings? - Early mornings
- Sweet or salty? - Salty
- Introvert or extrovert? - Introvert
- Favorite food? - Peanut butter
- Favorite sport? - Endurance cycling
- First job? - Painting house numbers on curbs
- Secret talent? - Convincing people to believe
- Meetings or email? - Meetings
- Air cooling or liquid cooling? - Liquid cooling
- Who would play you in a series? - Daniel Craig
Data Center War Story
A skeptical operations team, a resistant BMS vendor, and a live decision to turn on AI control created a tense moment where trust, preparation, and real time proof would determine whether the deployment succeeded or failed.
Top Picks
- Beware of Phone Theft While Traveling (link not verified) A practical travel lesson from London where phone snatching is common, reminding travelers to keep devices secure and out of sight.
- Waymo Autonomous Rides (link not verified) An example of self driving technology done well, highlighting how AI can improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians.
- Tesla Full Self Driving (link not verified) A consumer example of AI reducing cognitive load by handling routine driving tasks while keeping humans engaged.
Where to find Cliff Federspiel?
Cliff Federspiel can be found at:
- Vigilent
Resources Mentioned
- Vigilent
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory