Enteligent touts 800VDC rack power to cut AI losses

Enteligent has published a white paper arguing that data centres can cut power-conversion losses by pairing 800VDC facility distribution with a 50VDC rack architecture. It says the shift removes a constraint on AI-focused deployments.

The analysis focuses on the final stages of power delivery inside the data hall. It argues that alternating-current systems become increasingly inefficient as rack power levels rise, particularly for AI and GPU installations moving beyond 100 kW per rack.

Conversion losses

The white paper models a 100 kW AI rack and compares traditional AC architectures with a DC-native approach. In a conventional design, Enteligent estimates that 18 kW to 28 kW is dissipated in conversion losses across transformers, uninterruptible power supplies, power distribution units, and server power supplies before electricity reaches the compute equipment.

For the 800VDC-to-50VDC approach, Enteligent estimates end-to-end electrical efficiency at 94% to 95%, compared with 78% to 85% for conventional AC systems.

The model also suggests less heat inside the rack. Enteligent estimates 15 kW to 20 kW of heat is eliminated per rack, reducing the cooling load because less conversion heat needs to be removed.

Rack architecture

The paper describes an architecture that distributes high-voltage direct current at 800VDC across the facility, then converts power to 50VDC within the rack. According to Enteligent, a 50VDC bus more closely matches the internal power distribution used by modern servers than AC systems.

In the proposed design, AC-to-DC conversion is concentrated into fewer systems operating at higher utilisation. It also describes the conductor infrastructure as more compact, with rack-level conversion stepping down to the server bus.

Enteligent frames this as a scaling issue for the sector. The paper argues that AI workloads are pushing operators toward multi-hundred-megawatt sites and larger deployments, while established electrical infrastructure faces practical limits at higher densities.

"AI is fundamentally reshaping data center power requirements. While 800VDC distribution solves the upstream limitations of traditional AC infrastructure, converting it directly to a 50VDC server bus within the rack addresses the final conversion bottleneck at the server level," said Sean Burke, Chief Executive Officer of Enteligent.

Economic claims

The paper links electrical efficiency and heat reduction to data centre economics. It argues that reducing conversion losses increases usable compute capacity within an existing footprint and can change how operators plan cooling, electrical rooms, and power-delivery equipment.

It also claims that, based on the same model, an AI rack in a DC-native architecture can generate 10x to 15x more revenue than a traditional rack within the same square footage.

Claros, a power-management platform company working on data centre power-delivery technologies, is cited in support of the approach. The paper presents Claros as aligned with the view that power-conversion and thermal constraints are key barriers to scaling AI infrastructure.

"Power density is revenue density, and this architecture unlocks both. Every percentage point of efficiency recovered from unnecessary AC conversion translates directly into lower operating costs, reduced cooling infrastructure, and more usable compute per square foot of data center floor space," said Frank Smith, Vice President of Growth at Claros.

"Claros and Enteligent share the same perspective that by eliminating 15 to 20 kW of wasted heat per rack, you address one of the more persistent cost and scaling barriers for AI and GPU data centers," Smith said.

Broader workloads

While the model focuses on AI racks, the paper argues that rack-level 800VDC-to-50VDC conversion could serve as a common electrical platform for mixed workloads. It names enterprise servers, storage systems, and GPU compute as candidates for a unified approach within the same facility.

Enteligent develops direct-current power infrastructure for high-density loads, including data centres and electric vehicle charging. Its products include DC-DC conversion platforms and 800V DC power supplies targeted at AI data centre deployments.

Enteligent argues that operators will need to revisit the end-to-end power chain as rack densities rise, with more attention on conversion stages closest to IT equipment that contribute directly to heat inside the rack.