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Vincent Murage
Vincent Murage

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My Journey Building the Smart HVAC Optimizer for Data Centers in Kenya

In Kenya’s rapidly expanding digital economy, data centers are becoming the lifeblood of connectivity, cloud services, and enterprise transformation. Yet behind the scenes, they face a silent threat: energy inefficiency. As a mechanical engineering student pivoting into AI and infrastructure tech, I decided to tackle this head-on—building a Smart HVAC Optimizer that blends mechanical systems, machine learning, and software engineering to cool smarter, not harder.

The Problem: Wasteful Cooling in Critical Infrastructure

HVAC systems in Tier III-level data centers run nonstop. But without intelligent control, they:

    Overcool and waste energy
Struggle to maintain optimal uptime
Risk failing compliance standards like PCI DSI
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My Solution: A Smart ML-Powered HVAC Optimizer
designed and built an MVP that monitors thermal load, learns cooling patterns over time, and adjusts airflow dynamically using a trained machine learning model. It’s more than automation—it’s optimization. Core features include:
• Real-time sensor monitoring
• Predictive ML model for airflow regulation
• Interactive dashboard (built with Streamlit & Plotly)
• AWS integration for cloud-scale deployment

Tech Stack That Tells a Story
Behind the scenes, I worked with:
• Python (NumPy, Pandas, TensorFlow)
• SQL for telemetry structuring
• Git for version control
• Unix for deployment and logging

It’s multidisciplinary—but clean. From thermodynamics to code.

Impact: Local Vision, Global Standards

In tests using simulated data and real usage patterns, my model reduced energy consumption by nearly 30%, while preserving uptime and hitting Tier III thresholds. That’s real value in the Kenyan context where every watt and second matters.

I’m refining this into a scalable solution fit for local providers like icolo.io or Safaricom’s data infrastructure. I’m also exploring CDCP certification to deepen my compliance chops. Long-term? A portfolio that blends hardware intelligence with cloud-native scale.

If this resonates with your work or interests, let’s connect! I believe in open collaboration and local innovation. Drop by the GitHub repo (coming soon), or reach out if you’re tackling infrastructure challenges across East Africa.

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