03 / SERVICES Back to home

A complete system deserves a complete partner.

An off-grid AI data center combines three crafts that rarely sit in the same team: energy, compute and data. We come from energy: over twenty years of solar and storage across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. To that we add the integration of GPUs and open models, and the work on the customer’s documents and language.

12.SERVICES / 03 PHASES
01 / THE OFFER

Before. During. After.

Every phase has a clear outcome, from a tested design to reliable long-term operations.

01 / 03

Before the order

We start with your challenge, not the hardware.

01

Feasibility study

We understand what the AI must do before choosing the hardware.
What we deliver

A prioritised map of use cases; an estimate of users and load (tokens per day, peaks, concurrency); a reasoned choice of main and specialist models, with verified license; recommended and alternative system size; a site energy balance with month-by-month solar generation, night-time autonomy and reserve; a first GDPR and AI Act assessment; an economic estimate.

How we work

A meeting with the people who will use the system, collection of sample documents, an on-site or remote survey, a written report with stated assumptions. If it is not worthwhile, we say so. The cost is deducted from the order.

References

PVGIS for solar generation, public model benchmarks, ML.ENERGY for energy per response.

02

Pilot

The customer tries the AI on their own documents before buying.
What we deliver

A trial environment with the chosen model; the customer’s real document archive made searchable; a set of 50–100 real questions with expected answers, prepared together with the customer; a measure of quality, speed and consumption; a final report with the outcome.

How we work

Data handled under a confidentiality agreement and appointment as data processor; documented deletion at the end.

References

lm-evaluation-harness and a custom evaluation set in Italian or the customer’s language.

02 / 03

At delivery

A working system, not boxes left to assemble.

01

Integration and factory testing (FAT)

The system arrives already tested.
What we deliver

Assembly and wiring in Padua; 72 hours of operation under load; a battery switchover test with no interruption for the GPUs; a cooling-failure test; models pre-loaded and verified; a signed acceptance record.

How we work

A test protocol shared in advance; the customer may attend.

References

JA Planet BESS standards (IEC 62619, IEC 62933-5-2, UL 9540A), EN 50600 as a reference for the compute-module infrastructure.

02

Commissioning and training

On-site installation, go-live and training for the people using it.
What we deliver

Supervision of the local installer; energy and compute commissioning; site acceptance test (SAT); administrator training (user management, updates, backups) and role-based user training; a manual in Italian or the customer’s language.

References

CEI 0-16 / CEI 0-21 connection standards where the grid is present; the site’s electrical safety procedures.

03

Identity layer

What makes the AI useful to that customer and no one else.
What we deliver

Archive import (PDF, scans, email, ERP) with OCR; meaning-based search with source citation in every answer; the customer’s terminology, acronyms and language through light model adaptation (LoRA); roles and permissions aligned with the organisation; integrations with the clinical record (HL7 FHIR, DICOM for images), records management, ERP and email.

How we work

Short cycles, each one verified with users against the pilot question set.

References

Docling and PaddleOCR-VL for documents, Qdrant for the vector archive, vLLM for serving.

04

Compliance package

Support for DPIA, processing records, AI Act documentation and FRIA for public authorities.
What we deliver

Data protection impact assessment (DPIA, Art. 35 GDPR); update of the processing register; documented security measures (Art. 32 GDPR); AI Act documentation: user notice (Art. 50), use logs and human oversight for high-risk uses (Art. 26), support for the fundamental-rights impact assessment for public authorities (FRIA, Art. 27); model sheets with license and limits.

References

GDPR, AI Act (EU Reg. 2024/1689 as amended by the Digital Omnibus), ISO/IEC 42001 for the AI management system, ISO/IEC 27001, NIS2 directive for in-scope entities. Note: technical-documentary support, not legal advice.

03 / 03

In operation

Sovereignty continues after switch-on.

01

Remote management

Continuous monitoring and operational support.
What we deliver

Continuous monitoring of energy (generation, state of charge, auxiliaries) and compute (GPUs, temperatures, queues, response times); alerts; scheduled security patches; encrypted backups; a monthly report with availability, energy used and kWh per million tokens.

How we work

A separate, encrypted management channel; no user data leaves the site.

02

Model updates

Every quarter we assess new open models on license, quality in the customer’s language, safety and energy. We install only if it improves, with the option to roll back.
What we deliver

A quarterly assessment note; an update tested on the customer’s question set.

03

Offline updates

For sites with no connection: models and patches on encrypted disk by courier, with integrity verification at install and a version log.

04

Spares and response

On-site spares kit (fans, power supplies, disks), remote diagnosis, component replacement according to the chosen service level.

05

Energy services

The Planet’s surplus powers the facility: plant management, auxiliary control, a generation and self-consumption report, and scheduling of heavy jobs during sunny hours.

06

Hardware renewal

After 4–5 years we replace the GPUs, collect and resell the used equipment, and preserve energy, archive and configurations. The system stays, the compute grows.

02 / WORKING TOGETHER

The right model for your organization.

Choose ownership, continuous service or a managed AI capacity contract. We define the terms around your needs.

01

Turnkey purchase

02

Purchase + service contract

03

AI as a monthly service

03 / SERVICE LEVELS

Three levels of presence.

Choose how close Barrel stays to your system, from working-hours support to continuous standby.

01

Essential

Business-hours support, monitoring and quarterly updates.

02

Professional

Extended support, continuous monitoring with alerts, critical spares on site.

03

Critical

For hospitals and essential services: continuous standby, full spares on site, a continuity plan tested every year.

Response and intervention times are defined in the contract for each site.

04 / METHOD

Five rules we don’t bend.

They hold from the first feasibility meeting to the last hardware renewal.

  1. 01

    The problem first, then the hardware.

  2. 02

    Everything is measured: quality, speed, energy.

  3. 03

    Only models with a verified license.

  4. 04

    The customer’s data never leaves the site.

  5. 05

    Every choice is written down and can be redone.

05 / PROJECT DOCUMENTATION

What you find in the project dossier.

Everything we produce is written, handed over and yours to keep.

  • Feasibility report
  • Electrical and network diagram
  • Energy balance
  • Model and license sheet
  • Factory and site acceptance test record
  • User and administration manual
  • Maintenance plan
  • DPIA and AI Act documentation
06 / COMPETENCES

Three crafts, one team.

Energy, compute, data and the rules that bind them — under the same roof.

01

Energy

Solar, storage, microgrids, generators, for twenty years.

02

Compute

GPUs, cooling, networking, inference with vLLM and SGLang.

03

Data

Document archives, OCR, semantic search, healthcare and administrative integrations.

04

Rules

GDPR, AI Act, electrical and safety standards.

07 / FAQ

Questions about how we work.

Ownership, models, continuity and connectivity — answered directly.

01Who is the data controller?

The customer. Barrel acts as data processor only when accessing the system for support, under a written agreement.

02Can I change model in the future?

Yes. The system is not tied to a model: the most suitable one is installed when released, after verification.

03What happens if Barrel is no longer around?

The software is open source; configurations and models are documented and delivered to the customer.

04Do I need internet?

No for usage. It is only needed for updates and support, or you can use the encrypted disk.

08 / NEXT STEP

Request a feasibility study.

Tell us what your AI must do. We size energy, models and infrastructure for your site — and write down every assumption.

Request the study