Power Solutions for Gigawatt-Scale Data Centers

ABB announced that it is accelerating the development of gigawatt scale data centers in collaboration with Nvidia. Innovation will focus on the development and deployment of cutting-edge power solutions needed to create high-efficiency, scalable power delivery for future AI workloads. The research and development projects will support Nvidia’s planned introduction of 800 VDC power architecture for 1 megawatt server racks.

Delivering this level of power efficiently requires major advancements in power distribution technologies and architecture. Future data center power architectures will combine a medium voltage (MV) uninterruptible power supply (UPS) with direct current (DC) power distribution to the server room using solid-state power electronics devices.

“ABB is leading the development of the key new power distribution technologies that will create the next generation of data centers. We have been an early investor in the cutting-edge UPS, DC and solid-state electronics that will enable data centers to stay ahead of AI’s growing power demands,” said Giampiero Frisio, President, ABB Electrification. “This collaboration supporting the development of 800 VDC architectures for future data centers is one of the many ways we are engaging with the data center community to serve the needs of this dynamic market.”

Global data center demand is forecast to rise from 80 GW in 2024 to reach around 220GW by 2030, with capital expenditure projected to exceed $1 trillion (Source: Dell ’Oro Group). AI workloads are expected to account for around 70 % of this growth. "As AI demands continue to grow around the world, data centers require new approaches to power distribution that improve efficiency and simplify designs,” said Dion Harris, senior director, HPC, Cloud and AI Infrastructure, Nvidia. “Through our collaboration, Nvidia and ABB are supporting the industry in advancing toward 800 volt architectures that will enable the high-density AI infrastructure needed to fuel the next generation of AI."

ABB’s portfolio for data centers encompasses intelligent power distribution systems, backup power solutions, digital monitoring and other essential technologies that ensure continuous operations and optimize energy use for AI servers. Approximately 40 % of ABB’s scientific research in electrification is in areas critical to next gen data centers such as electrical architectures, protection devices, DC distribution and cooling.

Recent ABB innovations that support the data center industry include ABB’s HiPerGuard, a solid-state MV UPS. HiPerGuard solutions help AI data centers increase their power density and energy efficiency in a smaller footprint. ABB’s SACE Infinitus is designed to provide the speed and controllability needed to make direct current distribution viable.

(Source: ABB Ltd.)