International Energy Saving Day: AT&S Focuses on Intelligent Optimization

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AT&S is celebrating World Energy Saving Day on March 5 with technologies that help shape a sustainable future. The company’s ultra-efficient microelectronic products (IC substrates, high-end printed circuit boards) ensure that energy is used sparingly in AI data centers, green power plants, electric cars, smartphones and digital communication networks. The company is constantly optimizing its own production processes to conserve resources.

An AI-supported platform for intelligent energy management with 753 new sensors was successfully implemented at the AT&S site in Chongqing (China) in 2025. The system controls ventilation units, compressed air systems and HVAC systems – i.e. heating, ventilation and air conditioning – in real time, dynamically optimizes energy use and enables digitalized, CO₂-optimized production. This step is a milestone in the sustainable and energy-efficient transformation.

Flexible energy management saves costs and conserves resources

“Energy is one of the key cost drivers in industrial production. At the same time, the increasing share of renewable energy sources opens up new opportunities for smart load control,” explains Peter Griehsnig, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of AT&S, who himself has been involved in the management of Chongqing for many years. “Our development work shows how intelligent energy optimization can reduce costs and increase the stability of the energy system at the same time.”

AT&S is also currently working on a pioneering concept at its headquarters in Leoben-Hinterberg that will make energy consumption in production more flexible and efficient. The aim is to adapt individual production lines so that they run at optimum times and peak loads are avoided. The project is currently under development and has the potential to be implemented at other AT&S sites. A central component is the work of Jana Tiffner, a trainee in the R&D Service Center at AT&S in Leoben. She is investigating how energy consumption can be optimized and production lines controlled more efficiently. “With this work, we are laying the foundations for an intelligent energy system that reduces costs and supports the use of renewable energies,” says Griehsnig.

With these measures, AT&S is demonstrating how modern industrial production reduces costs, conserves resources and promotes the integration of renewable energy sources. On International Energy Saving Day, it becomes clear that innovation and responsibility go hand in hand at AT&S – both locally and globally.

Using AI, The Austrian high-tech company shows how innovative approaches in research and development can make production processes more efficient and sustainable. The focus is on flexibilization, data-driven control and intelligent load shifting.