Higher voltage distribution inside the rack is required and 800V (2 or 3 wires) is going to be selected in order to reduce distribution losses and copper requirements. DC racks have a long history- and if you are not currently using DC power distribution, it is pretty certain that you have encountered it in the past, and may still be using it every day - in your phone. Last week's Nvidia GTC conference highlighted new chip architectures to power AI. But as the chips become faster and more powerful, the remainder of data center infrastructure is playing catch-up. Most data center server racks are not currently powered this way, but with the advent of servers on the market that can operate with either AC or DC. To increase compute density and to deal effectively with the prospect of racks that consume up to 140kW or more, hyperscalers are now advocating an evolution to ±400VDC distribution to next-generation AI supercomputer racks. Q & A with Maury Wood, VP Strategic Marketing In this exclusive Q&A, Vicor.
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