ABB recently announced the launch of Infinitus—a direct current (DC) solution portfolio specifically designed to address the surging power demands of AI data centers. The portfolio aims to accelerate the adoption of DC architecture in data centers, enhancing energy efficiency, reducing power infrastructure footprint, and increasing available computing capacity.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global data center electricity demand is projected to more than double by 2030; 25% to 40% of new capacity may adopt DC distribution. With the deployment of next-generation AI chips, the power requirement per rack is expected to rise from the current nearly 200 kilowatts to 1 megawatt or more, pushing data centers to shift toward DC power architecture to meet performance demands while improving energy efficiency. Adopting 800-volt DC distribution can make infrastructure layouts more compact while eliminating redundant conversion steps in traditional AC systems, reducing heat loss.
A recent report by BCG and ABB estimates that DC distribution can deliver over 5% energy efficiency improvements and increase available computing rack space. For a 500-megawatt data center, a 5% efficiency improvement could add 25 megawatts of revenue-generating IT load, generating potential additional revenue of over US$300 million. Meanwhile, the electricity saved annually from this efficiency improvement is enough to power the District of Columbia for nearly a week.
Pete Lindstrom, Global President of ABB Electrification, said: “ABB has accumulated over 25 years of DC technology experience across multiple industries. We are working closely with chip manufacturers, hyperscale data center customers, supply chain partners, and industry organizations to advance standard development and scale the application of efficient DC architecture. The Infinitus DC product portfolio can provide key technology modules for different data center architectures, including native DC and AC-DC hybrid, supporting efficient power supply for next-generation AI chips. Related technologies are also expected to play a role in energy-intensive industries such as large-scale manufacturing, renewable energy, and shipping.”
The Infinitus DC product portfolio integrates solid-state transformers, DC distribution, and protection technologies into a power supply chain from the source side to the rack side. Its core includes ABB’s breakthrough Infinitus solid-state transformer technology, which can help customers reduce footprint and improve energy efficiency. As a leading electrification supplier that simultaneously offers the world’s first solid-state circuit breaker certified by the IEC and a commercially produced static medium-voltage uninterruptible power supply (UPS), ABB provides support for power conversion, distribution, protection, and power quality management in DC architectures.
The ABB Infinitus DC product portfolio consists of five key technology modules:
- Medium-voltage power supply system: Connects to the grid or on-site power generation systems to provide stable and resilient power supply for data centers;
- DC power and power quality: Completes AC-to-DC conversion, moving the power conversion process outside the data center white area;
- DC distribution: Safely and reliably transports electricity, supporting higher power density in a smaller footprint;
- DC protection: Protects operators, AI servers, and related hardware from DC overcurrent;
- Cooling system optimization: Uses DC-powered inverters and motors to reduce energy consumption of cooling systems in data center gray and white areas.
ABB works with customers to tailor solutions based on their specific power needs, facility layouts, and energy combinations. The launch of this product portfolio further deepens the ongoing collaboration between ABB and NVIDIA in the 800-volt DC power architecture domain. The two companies announced in October 2025 their joint development of an 800-volt DC power architecture for gigawatt-scale AI facilities. ABB has over 25 years of DC technology experience and holds over 700 related patents in fields including renewable energy, power generation, energy storage, motors, and drives.
Looking toward next-generation data centers, this integrated architecture can support the high-density, high-efficiency power supply required by future AI chips. As several core components are planned for production within the next 12 months, the first native DC facilities using the complete Infinitus DC product portfolio are expected to be installed and commissioned within 2 to 3 years.
Source:Beijing Star Power Network