ABB announced today a strategic alliance with NVIDIA to accelerate the development of next-generation data centers at gigawatt scale, with a clear focus: designing and deploying high-efficiency energy solutions capable of supporting the growing artificial intelligence (AI) workloads. The collaboration supports NVIDIA’s planned introduction of an 800 V direct current (800 VDC) power architecture for 1 MW server racks, a technical leap that necessitates rethinking both power distribution and electrical protection within the data center.
From medium voltage to rack: an electrical redesign from top to bottom
To deliver one megawatt per rack efficiently, you need more than just “business as usual.” ABB is advancing a hybrid architecture that combines medium-voltage UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supplies) with DC distribution all the way to the IT room, leveraging solid-state power electronics. This approach reduces losses, streamlines power paths, and lays the groundwork for high power densities in GPU-accelerated computing environments.
“ABB leads the development of new key power distribution technologies that will create the next generation of data centers. We have been among the first to invest in medium-voltage UPS, DC, and solid-state electronics to stay ahead of AI demands,” stated Giampiero Frisio, president of ABB Electrification. “This collaboration on 800 VDC architectures is one of many ways we are committed to the data center community.”
From NVIDIA, Dion Harris, senior director of HPC, AI infrastructure, and cloud, emphasized the context: “As AI demands grow worldwide, data centers need new energy distribution approaches that improve efficiency and simplify designs. The collaboration on 800 VDC is part of how we are working with the sector to meet these needs.”
A tripling market: 220 GW by 2030 and over a trillion dollars in capex
The pressure of AI on infrastructure is evident. Forecasts place the global data center capacity jumping from 80 GW in 2024 to approximately 220 GW in 2030, with an accumulated investment exceeding $1 trillion. It is estimated that AI workloads will account for around 70% of that growth. In this scenario, achieving point-to-point efficiency — from medium-voltage switchgear to rack busbars — is already a competitive factor.
Portfolio and technology: solid-state UPS and DC circuit breakers
ABB approaches this collaboration with a catalog specifically tailored to high-density computing environments:
- HiPerGuard: the world’s first solid-state medium-voltage UPS. Designed to boost power density and efficiency in a more compact footprint, crucial in rooms where every square meter counts.
- SACE Infinitus: the first solid-state circuit breaker with IEC certification, conceived to deliver the breaking speed and control that DC distribution demands when response times must be in milliseconds.
Alongside these products, ABB offers intelligent distribution, backup power, digital monitoring, and tools to optimize energy use in AI clusters. The company assures that approximately 40% of its electrification R&D is focused on critical areas for modern data centers: electrical architectures, protection devices, DC distribution, and cooling.
Why 800 VDC matters for AI
The adoption of 800 VDC in the final segment to the rack aims to reduce losses, decrease conductor sizes, improve conversion efficiencies, and limit failure points. In clusters with thousands of GPUs and 1 MW racks, each percentage point of efficiency saves megawatt-hours and reduces the carbon footprint. Moreover, solid-state electronics enable ultrafast switching, advanced selectivity, and more precise protections against transients—crucial when high-value AI workloads depend on service continuity.
Impact for operators and end customers
For hyperscalers and colocation providers, the joint ABB and NVIDIA solution aims to standardize high-power energy blocks, accelerate deployment times, and reduce total cost of ownership (TCO). For end customers — from foundational model training to large-scale inference — benefits include improved effective PUE, higher density per rack, and electrical resilience aligned with AI’s criticality.
In summary: the ABB–NVIDIA alliance is driving a paradigm shift in data center power supply, centered on 800 VDC, medium-voltage UPS, and solid-state protection. As a market expected to triple by 2030 and with AI fueling the growth, electric efficiency ceases to be merely a “nice to have” and becomes the main lever to scale while controlling costs and timelines.