Meta Platforms Inc is expected to be the first among major cloud service providers to deploy a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) energy system as early as the first quarter of next year, followed by Google, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Corp, market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) said on Wednesday.
As artificial intelligence (AI) data centers’ power density accelerates rapidly, cloud service providers are seeking to implement either 800 volt HVDC or ±400 volt direct current architecture to meet surging power demand, TrendForce said.
Google is likely to take action in the second half of next year, the Taipei-based researcher said.
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While the ±400 volt direct current architecture offers advantages in electrical grounding safety, insulation and arc prevention, and can be seen as an extension of existing data centers due to its mature technology, its complex wiring remains a disadvantage, TrendForce said.
By contrast, the 800 volt HVDC architecture features a simpler design, making expansion easier, it said.
There is no clear trend toward standardizing power supply architecture, but the growing power consumption of AI servers has made closer collaboration within the technology industry necessary, TrendForce said.
AI chip designer Nvidia Corp has been promoting 800 volt HVDC architecture to align with the launch of its next-generation chip platform, Vera Rubin, which several institutions said is set for the second half of next year.
The company earlier this month called for efforts to align on common voltage ranges, connector interfaces and safety practices under the 800 volt HVDC environment.
TrendForce said a transition from alternating current systems to HVDC systems involves the deployment of side power racks to facilitate better computing at existing data centers, which would benefit Taiwanese power solution providers such as Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) and Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶).
Both firms are well established in the international data center power component supply chain, and are expected to serve as system integrators for backup battery units and power supply units for HVDC systems, TrendForce said.
Battery makers Dynapack International Technology Corp (順達) and Advanced Energy Solution Holding Co are also expected to lead the production of backup battery units in HVDC data centers, it said.
As high-power server racks are expected to require 1 megawatt or more in the future, manufacturers are increasingly required to design integrated solutions that combine power supply, computing and liquid-cooling units, TrendForce said.
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