India is getting hotter. Not gradually, not quietly — but urgently, undeniably, and at a scale that can no longer be ignored. And yet, the way we cool ourselves has barely changed in decades. The air conditioner still reigns, still guzzles electricity, still throws hot air back into the very streets it’s supposed to be cooling. Bringing a change to this is Jeeten Desai, co-founder of Ambiator Cools, along with Tiger Aster — a Hyderabad-based startup that has built a 5-ton cooling unit that uses 80 percent less electricity, exhausts air cooler than the outside temperature, and is manufactured entirely in India. A technology that sits between the humble air cooler and the energy‑hungry AC, Ambiator is quietly rewriting the rules of cooling with one powerful belief: that you should never have to warm the planet just to stay comfortable in it. Jeeten Desai speaks to CE about the two and a half years of relentless R&D, the gap nobody thought to fill, and why India’s cooling problem is more urgent than we think.
Excerpts
Could you tell us a little about Ambiator and what was the main aim for you to start it?
Ambiator was started in 2022 with the sole objective to provide made-in-India cooling technologies. We have manufactured a 5-ton equivalent unit that works in hot and dry climates and reduces energy bills by more than 80 percent.
What was the main gap that you felt Ambiator could fill?
If you think about human thermal comfort, you have the fan, the air cooler or desert cooler, and then the AC — there’s nothing in between. The Ambiator fits right there, but it’s great for the environment. The air we exhaust is cooler than the ambient, we use 80 percent less electricity, normal tap water just like your washing machine, and everything is automatic.
Was there a specific moment that made you realise cooling itself needed to be reinvented?
This technology was improved upon over two and a half years. Around COVID, we realised we had to make a product out of it and think about a small baseline. So 5 ton becomes the baseline — you can do 5 tons, 50 tons, 500 tons, 1,000 tons using the same unit. We are a single-product company that solves for hot and dry climates. India is 70 percent hot and dry. In a city like Hyderabad, ACs are actually taking out moisture from the room. So we made a 100 percent fresh air system that takes what nature provides us — we filter it, cool it, bring that air in, and exhaust it at the same time.
How difficult was it to challenge an industry so dependent on conventional AC systems?
The biggest problem with AC is that the outdoor unit is constantly throwing hot air out. If your outdoor unit is facing someone else’s house, that person is forced to put an AC because you are throwing hot air there. That microclimatic area heats up, you need more cooling — what would take one ton needs two tons, what would take two tons needs four tons. It’s unsustainable. We are also importing most components from China and harming our environment. Ambiator is a leapfrog technology — if it’s 45 degrees outside, an AC throws air at 55–60 degrees. We exhaust air at 35 and supply at 20.
How did you ensure Ambiator was practical and affordable for everyday users?
Sustainability and affordability typically don’t go hand in hand, but we’ve made our choices carefully. Our primary component is steel, which is infinitely recyclable. The inside body is made of LDPE where the raw material is used plastics. Our carbon footprint is limited to the transport of the unit — our manufacturing is in Hyderabad, and only the Scope 3 emissions from transporting it to Jaipur or Bengaluru apply. Our unit avoids 25 metric tons of CO2 from entering the atmosphere.
What were the biggest technical challenges during R&D?
With a full-stack manufactured product, we went through seven iterations over two and a half years. From our 2021 unit to what we currently sell, there is a huge difference — it is automated, works on single-phase 5-amp plug points, has an integrated BLDC motor so it’s extremely silent, and is structurally much stronger. The biggest addition came from customer feedback asking if they could control it through their building management software. That’s where we identified an IoT module that manages, maintains, and monitors our unit for preventive maintenance.
Did investors and customers immediately understand the concept?
Cooling is a feeling business. All our customers from Jaipur to Vellore have sat in our demo spaces, experienced the cooling, and then placed an order. It’s a new category — people are used to a fan, cooler, or AC and mentally have an idea of how they should feel. With nature-based cooling, they haven’t seen that yet. We are now trying to create demo centres across India, but we are bootstrapped, so limited with cash. We would have gone to 100 cities just to put up a demo centre and allow people to experience it.
How has T-Hub been helpful for you?
T-Hub is a great ecosystem partner and we were fortunate to get grants from the T-Spark programme. The leadership has been supportive and we got access to the Kotak BizLab program as part of their first series. Being part of the sustainability cohort there was very valuable for us.
How do you design a solution that works across different cities, temperatures, and income groups?
We have cooled houses, villas, bungalows, tin sheds, hospitals, manufacturing plants, and storefronts. 70 percent of real estate in India has not been built yet and will need some form of cooling. Even Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana houses — the fan will no longer cut it, but people inside may not afford the electricity bills that come with an AC. There’s a very urgent need for something affordable that reduces the electricity bill and load, and is made in India. Our whole supply chain is made in India today
Do you think sustainable cooling should now be treated as a public necessity?
I am a strong believer that just like water and electricity, cooling should be a utility. Gone are the days where cooling was a luxury — people can now click, buy an AC, and get it delivered and installed in less than 48 hours. But cooling needs to be addressed in a holistic manner, and we need affordable choices for India, specifically made in India.
Why isn’t the conversation around how we cool mainstream enough?
It’s an education and awareness problem. India has a lot of very basic issues to deal with at a large scale, and cooling has taken a back seat. But now there are ministries, and the National Disaster Management Association has identified heat waves as a disaster, with some states doing proactive work. Education, policy, and people not having an option at all — those three things have to be addressed individually and at scale.
What has been the most surprising reaction from users?
A couple of film producers came to experience the cooling. It was quite hot outside and we froze them. As founders, we went into detail about the technology and how it’s great for the environment — but for them, that didn’t matter. After a few minutes they asked us to switch it off and said, “Why is your AC cooling so much?” I said, “It’s not an AC at all — it’s an Ambiator, and what you’ve been experiencing is a nature-based cooling solution.” It’s an education curve that will take time.
What led you to the name ‘Ambiator’?
You know how ‘ambient’ refers to what the environment gives you? Ambiator is a machine that works with ambient conditions. Those are two things we combined to make this word.
What message would you like to give to customers who aren’t yet aware of Ambiator?
From employee comfort to labor camps and gig workers — they need relief from heat waves, and now there’s a solution that can provide it affordably. My request is: come visit us. We are in Hyderabad and have a couple of demo centers. Experience the cooling — whether you buy or not is irrelevant. Just check out something innovative, full-stack manufactured, and give your honest feedback.
What is the roadmap ahead for Ambiator?
We are going to have to brace for the El Niño that’s due to arrive any time. We’ve solved for hot and dry climates — our next platform will solve for hot, dry, and humid climates altogether. Our current technology reduces energy bills by more than 80 percent, with real savings in the tune of 91 percent with more usage. The next platform starts at a baseline of 50 percent energy savings. Our next product portfolio will also include a smaller 1.5-ton unit in both hot-and-dry and bio-climatic versions.