GE Vernova’s new MV-UPS to buffer AI data centre power swings
GE Vernova Inc. has announced a medium-voltage uninterruptible power supply (MV-UPS) designed to provide continuous power to data centres, AI factories and other energy-intensive facilities.
The system is aimed at addressing power continuity and quality requirements as electricity demand from AI data centres increases. These facilities can experience sharp changes in electricity demand as workloads change, creating additional challenges for the grid or generation sources supplying them.
Conventional UPS protection is generally deployed at low voltage after electricity has been stepped down. This approach protects smaller sections of a facility separately, while changes in facility demand can still be reflected back towards the grid or generation sources.
GE Vernova’s MV-UPS places the protection at medium voltage, creating a stability block between the facility and its power supply. The company said this allows a single coordinated system to protect a larger portion of the facility and limit the extent to which sudden changes in electricity demand are passed back to the grid or generation sources.
“Reliable, uninterrupted power is foundational to every energy-intensive industry, and AI data centers are raising that requirement to a new level of scale and complexity,” said Philippe Piron, CEO of GE Vernova’s Electrification segment. “That requires us to rethink how power is protected and managed inside these facilities. Our MV-UPS is the true end-to-end medium-voltage power stability solution for energy-intensive industries, including data centers. It applies proven GE Vernova power-conversion and energy-storage technologies in a new innovative way, giving customers the reliability but also the cost and footprint efficiency their operations demand at the scale these new profiles of load now require”
How it works
The MV-UPS is installed on a facility’s medium-voltage network between the power supply and critical loads. It combines power-conversion technology, controls and integrated energy storage to maintain voltage and frequency for critical operations while buffering sudden changes in facility demand before they reach the grid or onsite generation.
By operating at medium voltage, the system can protect larger blocks of critical load than conventional low-voltage UPS arrangements. GE Vernova said the system is also designed to help customers meet power-quality and grid-connection requirements, use energy storage more flexibly and simplify downstream electrical infrastructure.
The company expects to begin shipping MV-UPS systems in mid-2027, with the first project expected to be energised in late 2027.
Data centre portfolio
The MV-UPS adds medium-voltage power protection and stability to GE Vernova’s existing data centre offering.
The company’s portfolio includes gas turbines for power generation; substations, high- and medium-voltage transformers, switchgear and gas-insulated switchgear for grid connection; energy management systems for coordinating power supply with changing facility demand; and power-conversion technologies for managing and delivering electricity within data centres.
GE Vernova is also developing solid-state transformer technology for more compact and efficient power conversion closer to the rack. The company said these technologies form part of its power-to-rack approach for AI data centres.
Photo credit: GE Vernova
