On September 22, 2025, the official commissioning of Ahead (Advanced Heat Pump Demonstrator) took place at Takeda in Vienna:
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With Ahead, Takeda creates an environmentally friendly solution for CO2-free steam generation for industrial processes that is unique in this form.
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The project is carried out by Takeda together with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and shows the importance of cooperation between industry and research institutes.
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Ahead is the first industrial application of this innovative high-temperature heat pump system with 100 percent natural refrigerant.
Takeda (TSE: 4502/NYSE: TAK) sets a new standard for sustainable drug production with the official commissioning of Ahead. Ahead was awarded the Net Zero Industries Award in Austria in 2023, presented at the UN climate conference COP28 and is part of the Austria Pavilion of the World Exhibition Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The research project was launched in 2022 by Takeda together with the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology and funded as part of the research initiative “NEFI- New Energy for Industry” by the climate and energy fund, endowed by the Federal Ministry for Innovation, Mobility and Infrastructure.
The high-temperature heat pump used at the Takeda location in Vienna makes it possible for the first time to generate process steam completely without fossil fuels: a crucial step towards the net zero greenhouse gas emissions before 2035, to which Takeda has committed itself worldwide in its own companies. The production facility in Vienna is one of the largest locations of Takeda worldwide: around 2,500 employees produce more than 20 different medicines for patients in Austria and in over 100 countries worldwide. With AHead, Takeda strengthens his ecological balance and shows his will to innovate to achieve his ambitious environmental goals that set new standards in industry.
The project progress
The project started with an extensive planning phase. The basis was the existing CO₂-free energy center at the Vienna production site in Langen Allee 24, which has now been expanded by Ahead. The structural preparation work began in May 2024 and the construction phase of Ahead started in the summer of 2024. In the summer of 2025, the high-temperature heat pump was successfully taken into trial operation.
The system is accompanied by a 4,000 -hour scientific monitoring by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology in order to evaluate the performance and transferability of the technology to further locations and industries. To determine the decarbonization potential, a new approach was developed that combines process requirements and expected process changes, learning curves for high-temperature heat pumps based on the experience of demonstration operation and possible optimizations as well as statistical data. As a result, the operating strategy of the system can be continuously optimized.
Technological innovation
The centerpiece of AHEAD is the steam -producing heat pump of the SPH Sustainable Process Heat GmbH, which is operated with 100 percent natural refrigerants and can achieve process temperatures of over 200 ° C in combination with steam resorts – more than the 184 ° C required for pharmaceutical production at Takeda at 11 bar (a). An essential feature of Ahead is the use of the existing refrigeration systems and their seasonally available waste heat. As a result, the system has the potential to generate CO₂-free steam over a period of more than seven months. The annual savings potential is up to 1,600 tons of CO₂, which corresponds to a reduction of around 80 percent for the Vienna location, long avenue 24.
From Vienna for the world
In the Austria Pavilion at Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan, Ahead is shown as an example of forward-looking technologies. This underlines the importance of long-term partnerships and shows how common knowledge can contribute to solving global climate and energy issues. Ahead sets a strong signal for the innovative strength of Austrian industrial projects in a global context.
With the commissioning that has now taken place, Ahead passes into the standard operation. Ahead serves as a pilot project for a possible global scaling: The data obtained in monitoring should not only be used for the Vienna location, but also for other Takeda production centers and thus serve as a model for CO₂-free process heat in the pharmaceutical industry and beyond.
Photos and statements From the official commissioning you can find here: https://www.publichealth.at/portfolio-items/AHEAD-2025/