Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, has officially announced the launch of its new end-to-end AI-ready data center solutions.
According to certain reports, these solutions include a new data center reference design, co-developed with NVIDIA, which is designed to support liquid-cooled, high-density AI clusters of up to 132 kW per rack. More on the same would reveal how the technology is actually optimized for NVIDIA’s GB200 NVL72 and Blackwell chips, meaning it can streamline planning and deployment with proven, validated architectures to address the unique challenges of utilizing liquid cooling at-scale.
The next newly-announced solution here happens to be Galaxy VXL uninterruptible power supply (UPS), industry’s most compact, high-density UPS designed for AI, data center, and large-scale electrical workloads. You see, Galaxy VXL UPS arrives on the scene bearing an ability to offer 52 per cent space savings, as compared to the industry average, and with a power density of up to 1042 kW/m.
Another detail worth a mention is rooted in the fact that UPS was specifically designed to deliver more efficient power in a smaller, high-density footprint.
Both the solutions, on their part, join Schneider Electric’s end-to-end, AI-ready data center solutions, which focus on three key areas i.e. developing an energy strategy for the AI era; deploying advanced infrastructure; and sustainability consulting. By doing so, they aim to empower data center owners and operators in their journey to deploy energy efficient, high-density infrastructure, and therefore, support AI workloads as sustainably as possible.
“The energy and environmental impact of AI is growing at unprecedented pace, and it’s paramount we bend the energy curve downward by finding new ways to decarbonize data centers and the digital infrastructure,” said Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President, Data Centers & Networks at Schneider Electric. “At Schneider Electric, we are committed to pushing boundaries, setting new standards, and shaping the future of AI, whilst protecting the environment. This requires a strategic approach from the grid to the chip, to the chiller, and beyond.”
Going back to Schneider Electric’s newest data center reference design, it has been co-developed with NVIDIA to support liquid-cooled, AI clusters, while simultaneously addressing the unique challenges of deploying liquid cooling within hyperscale, co-location and enterprise data center environments.
You see, capitalizing upon the companies’ pre-existing partnership, the reference design in question brings forth options for liquid-to-liquid Coolant Distribution Units (CDUs) and direct-to-chip liquid cooling, as well as shares comprehensive mechanical and electrical plans to ensure more energy efficient and sustainable operations for the AI data centers of the future.
It is also developed using Schneider Electric’s software tools including Ecodial and EcoStruxure™ IT Design CFD. This means design can be customized to meet specific requirements of the AI workload, thus helping users leverage the most sustainable and energy efficient infrastructure designs for high-density applications.
The development in question also delivers a rather interesting follow-up to Schneider Electric’s track record in supporting companies to secure renewable energy and optimizing on-site power generation with diverse sources like wind, solar, and hydrogen. This includes services such as site selection and geographical analysis based on customers’ deployment plans. Apart from that, the company facilitates on-site power generation through AlphaStruxure, generating speed to market, reliability, resilience, and sustainability of chosen power sources.
“By 2027, data center electricity consumption is projected to account for 2.5 per cent of global demand, with the remaining 97.5 per cent spread across industries such as buildings, manufacturing, transportation, and energy,” said Sean Graham, Research Director of Cloud to Edge Datacenter Trends at IDC. “While data centers pursue their own net-zero goals amid unprecedented growth, the real sustainability promise lies in leveraging AI to decarbonize entire value chains across industries. As Schneider Electric and NVIDIA have demonstrated, long-term collaboration and innovation are essential to driving efficiency and sustainability.”
