ABB and Applied Digital have formed a strategic partnership to design and deploy the electrical infrastructure for a new 400 MW data center campus in North Dakota, USA, built from the ground up to meet the energy demands of large-scale artificial intelligence (AI). This agreement marks a significant step toward modernizing high-performance computing facilities, incorporating cutting-edge technology such as ABB’s HiPerGuard solution, a revolutionary medium-voltage uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system in the industry.
The collaboration, with initial orders scheduled between late 2024 and early 2025, not only sets new standards for energy efficiency and reliability in next-generation data centers but also advances toward a scalable and resilient model capable of supporting the exponential growth of AI and accelerated computing.
A future-proof electrical architecture is at the core of this initiative. The key component is a medium-voltage electrical system based on the HiPerGuard static UPS, which allows energy distribution at higher voltages, reducing conversion losses, generating less heat, and significantly improving operational efficiency. Unlike traditional data centers that utilize low-voltage distribution and conventional UPS systems, ABB and Applied Digital’s proposal represents disruptive evolution.
This shift enables data centers to scale in 25 MW blocks, minimizing components and cabling, resulting in faster installations, a smaller physical footprint, and increased reliability. It is especially suitable for so-called “AI factories,” which require unprecedented energy densities to power GPU clusters and high-performance servers.
“The project we’re building with ABB will completely transform how large-scale data centers are conceptualized. Thanks to their advanced technology and global presence, we can redesign the industry’s electrical infrastructure to meet the growing demands of AI factories,” said Todd Gale, Applied Digital’s Head of Development.
Massimiliano Cifalitti, President of Smart Power at ABB Electrification, added, “Partnerships like this accelerate the arrival of AI-ready data centers with more competitive and resilient energy infrastructures. Our technology is designed for maximum performance, with global manufacturing capacity and a uniquely innovative market approach.”
This new architecture’s push is deliberate. With the rapid expansion of language models, deep neural network training, and real-time inference services, conventional data centers face an energy bottleneck. The HiPerGuard solution directly addresses this challenge by enabling higher density operation without compromising stability or consumption.
ABB, with over 140 years of history and a global workforce of 110,000 employees, has embraced this new generation of medium-voltage UPS early on. It has already been adopted by data centers and research facilities across North America and Europe. The Swiss company aims to lead this transition towards more sustainable, efficient infrastructures suited for the era of intensive computing.
Applied Digital, listed on Nasdaq as APLD, specializes in designing, building, and operating next-generation data centers focused on AI workloads, blockchain, and high-performance computing (HPC). Their facilities are prepared to offer services such as Compute Services as a Service (CSaaS) and GPU-as-a-Service, critical for developing generative AI models and machine learning.
The merging of ABB’s expertise in energy infrastructure with Applied Digital’s vision for accelerated computing environments marks a new chapter in data center development—one where energy efficiency and rapid scalability are fundamental pillars for the future of artificial intelligence.
Source: ABB