An Israeli firm is touting “ice batteries” to help meet data center cooling requirements.

Nostromo Energy recently launched the IceBrick 360, a patented cold-thermal energy storage system that is apparently “engineered specifically for high demand data centers.”

The device is “designed to provide load flexibility to help expedite grid connection or increase computing capacity of existing locations,” the company said.

Ice batteries work by cooling ice stored in cells at times where demand for power is low. The batteries use the cold temperature of the ice to chill the cooling liquid needed in HVAC systems, eliminating the need for mechanical chillers, which are big consumers of electricity.

According to Nostromo Energy, this process can ensure 40 percent of data center power consumption is made flexible, meaning it can be shifted to off-peak hours to cut costs and reduce strain on the grid.

The company’s CEO, Yoram Ashery, told Fierce Networks that it had already signed one data center customer, and was in discussions with several others.

It also has an outstanding loan guarantee of up to $305.5 million from the US Department of Energy to deploy its technology at 193 commercial buildings in California, though this came under the previous administration, before President Trump took office.

Other vendors, including Trane and PureThermal, are also marketing ice batteries.