VAXA Technologies automates Icelandic spirulina farming with Siemens tech

In the shadow of Iceland’s Hellisheiði geothermal power station, VAXA Technologies is cultivating a new kind of crop that doesn't require soil, seasons, or sunlight. Inside a futuristic facility filled with photobioreactors and illuminated tubing, the company is producing Icelandic Ultra Spirulina – a nutrient-rich microalgae touted for its protein, iron, and vitamin B12 content – through an automated, energy-efficient system powered entirely by clean electricity.

VAXA’s approach to food production relies on what it calls an 'energy-to-food' platform, developed and patented to support year-round indoor farming using just three primary inputs: renewable energy, fresh water, and carbon dioxide. By co-locating next to one of the world’s largest geothermal power plants, the company captures waste heat, carbon dioxide, and electricity from the plant to drive its cultivation process, achieving an output that, according to the company, uses less than 1% of the land and freshwater of traditional methods while producing ten times the yield.

“Algae are extremely efficient at converting light into biomass, and we can use 100% of our biomass for feed and food,” said Kristinn Haflidason, General Manager at VAXA Technologies Iceland.

The company’s spirulina product is positioned as a sustainable alternative to conventional animal protein, offering a complete amino acid profile, highly bioavailable iron, and active vitamin B12. It is already being incorporated into consumer products such as bread, shakes, and plant-based meat alternatives. VAXA is also supplying aquaculture hatcheries with microalgae feed that, according to trials, improves fish survival and immune performance.

A key factor in the facility’s performance is its seamless automation, delivered through a collaboration with Siemens. Using technologies such as the TIA Portal, Simatic S7-1500 controllers, and Scalance industrial networking components, the VAXA team can monitor and regulate lighting, environmental parameters, and nutrient delivery in real-time. The lighting system focuses only on the red and blue wavelengths needed for optimal photosynthesis, improving energy efficiency while maintaining strong growth rates.

“Instead of using electricity to create wavelengths the algae do not need, we focus only on the light wavelengths they do need,” explained Haflidason.

The technology deployment began with Siemens’ Energy2Feed initiative, in which Siemens engineers provided offline data models and strategic input on system control. These digital models continue to play a central role in managing and optimizing the operation.

“These models continue to serve as key input for optimizing the control of the plant and are one of the main reasons why VAXA keeps increasing production,” said Dr Ari Ingimundarson, Head of Engineering & Operations at VAXA.

Remote control and rapid reprogramming through the TIA Portal enable VAXA’s engineers to fine-tune the system without interrupting operations, allowing for continual improvements in productivity and efficiency. The system's integration of IT and OT networks also ensures that data flows securely and reliably between control systems and monitoring platforms.

Thanks to this automation infrastructure and the use of renewable inputs, VAXA’s facility has reached a rare achievement in food production: it operates with a carbon-negative footprint.

The company’s choice of location – drawing on Iceland’s unique mix of geothermal energy, non-marine freshwater, and naturally occurring CO₂ – has allowed it to avoid many of the resource constraints that limit conventional agriculture and aquaculture. The word 'vaxa' means 'to grow' or 'to increase' in Icelandic, and with rising interest in sustainable protein sources, the company is aiming to scale further.

As it stands, VAXA’s facility serves as a model of how advanced engineering and biotechnology can work together to create resilient, sustainable food systems in even the most unlikely environments.