Whole Foods, Contractors Opt for AI Software to Optimize Energy and Service

Axiom Exergy, a five-year-old company in Richmond, California (U.S.), that began as the provider of a “refrigeration battery” for supermarkets, is now marketing a “virtual” battery and technician service driven by a cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) platform called Axiom Cloud.

Initial customers for Axiom Cloud include Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas (U.S.), which has also employed the original refrigeration battery, and commercial refrigeration contractors Arcticom, and Clima-Tech, as well as other North American supermarket chains and maintenance providers.

"We've been impressed with the performance of Axiom's Refrigeration Battery," said Tristam Coffin, Director of Sustainability at Whole Foods Market, in a statement. "So when Axiom approached us with a proposal to provide similar benefits with just software, we were immediately interested in learning more."

Axiom Exergy says it has secured more than $1 million in orders for the Axiom Cloud, which have come within six months of launching the product, and include multi-site rollouts.

Axiom Exergy initially developed the Axiom Cloud software to operate its Refrigeration Battery solution, which adds thermal storage capacity to existing commercial refrigeration systems. 

"It's clear that there is pent-up demand for real solutions to the tough energy and maintenance problems plaguing this industry,” said Amrit Robbins, CEO of Axiom Exergy. With Axiom Cloud, "we've been able to go from a proof of concept to significant market traction in a pretty short time period."

The Axiom Cloud platform can be deployed to existing and new commercial refrigeration systems (such as those found in supermarkets, cold storage facilities, and food processing plants). Currently, customers can subscribe to two automated services through the system:     

• Virtual Battery: The Axiom Cloud predictively pre-cools low-temperature cases, followed by intelligent load shedding of the compressors and condensers. It provides the same benefits as an intelligent electrochemical battery (demand charge management, demand response) without the hardware, says Axiom Exergy.

• Virtual Technician: The Axiom Cloud leverages AI and machine learning to predict failures and autonomously improve system performance over time.

The Virtual Technician service has generated interest from multiple refrigeration operations and maintenance (O&M) providers, says Axiom Exergy.

"Our customer's stores generate mountains of data, and we have been increasingly interested in using it to deliver higher levels of service to our customers," said Jim Pape, CEO of the Arcticom Group, Walnut Creek, California (U.S.). "Axiom's AI solution is of particular interest to us because it is purpose-built for the specific needs of the commercial refrigeration market."

"Predicting system outages before they occur is the holy grail of refrigeration maintenance," said Ramez Naguib, CEO of Clima-Tech Refrigeration & HVAC, Norco, California (U.S.). "The Axiom Cloud solution represents a significant opportunity for us to provide better maintenance, lower our costs, and increase the efficiency of the systems we service."

Axiom Exergy has already begun operating the Axiom Cloud at many of the contracted sites and has begun planning for additional deployments in 2020.

"The more sites we install, the smarter our algorithms are going to be and the more value we can provide to our customers," said Robbins.