AI Firms Redesign Data Centers for 800-Volt DC Power as Cooling Cuts Energy Use 15%
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 1
AI Firms Redesign Data Centers for 800-Volt DC Power as Cooling Cuts Energy Use 15%
13 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jun 1
Around 30% of data-center electricity is not used for AI computing, pushing AI firms to overhaul facilities with liquid cooling, shorter power paths and higher-voltage systems as chip demand strains grids.
Liquid cooling emerged after Nvidia’s Blackwell chips generated too much heat for air cooling; Nvidia and Vertiv say it can lift energy efficiency 15% and cut fossil-fuel emissions 10%.
Nvidia is also testing “sidecar” equipment that moves AC-to-DC conversion out of server racks and feeds them 800-volt DC power, which Flex estimates improves efficiency 20% and lets 1-megawatt systems support 500-kilowatt racks.
Before 2030, Nvidia, Flex and Vertiv expect many AI factories to shift toward 800-volt DC architectures, while solid-state transformers could improve efficiency 27% and cut distribution losses from roughly one-third to under 1%.
The redesign push reflects a broader constraint on AI expansion: power shortages, rising electricity costs, heavier carbon emissions and growing political resistance to data centers.
Will efficiency gains curb AI's climate impact or just accelerate its unsustainable growth?
Is the AI boom forcing a nuclear power renaissance to prevent a global energy crisis?
Why AI Data Centers Need 800V DC Power Now: The Urgent Shift for Efficiency, Scale, and Sustainability
Overview
Data center power infrastructure is facing an urgent transformation as artificial intelligence workloads drive unprecedented power density. Modern GPU racks now consume hundreds of kilowatts, and vendors are planning for megawatt-class racks in the near future. This surge in demand is fundamentally challenging old assumptions and making traditional power systems inadequate. As a result, the industry is rapidly shifting toward higher voltage direct current power distribution, with 800V DC emerging as a critical standard. However, there is still a significant gap in adoption, as much of the industry is catching up to these new requirements.