Technical Analysis Examines 240 V HVDC for AI Data Center Server Power

The analysis considers a 240 V DC bus as an alternative server-power architecture to conventional online UPS-based systems, which the article describes as the dominant approach for computing facilities. Its central argument is that higher-voltage DC distribution can reduce the number of power-conversion stages, lower current in server power circuits and reduce cable losses.

According to the article, moving to a 240 V DC bus reduces current in the server power system by a factor of five. It cites a factor-of-seven reduction for a 336 V DC architecture. The publication says these voltage classes have previously been deployed in China as a compromise between efficiency and the relative simplicity of 48 V infrastructure, amid rapid growth in computing capacity. It does not identify specific Chinese facilities, operators, vendors, deployment volumes or implementation dates.

The technical case focuses on losses close to the IT load. The article states that a CRPS 80 Plus Titanium server power supply converting 230 V AC to 12 V DC has losses of at least 4%, including under an optimistic partial-load scenario. By comparison, it puts peak efficiency for industrial supplies converting 48 V DC to 12 V DC at about 98%. These parameters are presented as technical examples rather than universal performance benchmarks, and the publication provides no independent confirmation of the cited efficiency, loss or current-reduction figures.

Dual-input CRPS units are presented as an interoperability mechanism: the same power supply can operate from either 90–264 V AC or 180–320 V DC. This could allow servers to support both conventional AC distribution and a 240 V HVDC bus without requiring different server power-supply architectures.

The article also cites modular online UPS systems using 200 kVA/kW power modules, with a claimed UPS power rating of 1.2 MW on a 0.8-square-metre footprint. That figure relates to UPS power density, not to a data center's IT capacity, campus capacity or a new HVDC deployment.

For power-system and server-power suppliers, rising AI density could expand interest in HVDC-compatible equipment, including dual-input CRPS designs. Still, the source is a technical argument rather than evidence of a large-scale market rollout. It reports no new project, construction activity, supply agreement or operational HVDC infrastructure.