ABB’s medium voltage power supply at Ark Data Centres

ABB has concluded the UK's inaugural implementation of a turnkey medium-voltage (MV) uninterruptible power supply (UPS) at Ark Data Centres' Surrey location. With a robust installation of 25MVA, this deployment exemplifies efficiency, reliability, and readiness for the intensifying power demands of AI computing.

Notably, Ark Data Centres, a prominent player in the UK’s data landscape, stands at the forefront by incorporating ABB’s innovative AI-oriented MV power framework. This distinctive architecture seamlessly unifies grid connectivity and UPS, all operational at medium voltage, aligning with the power-intensive requirements of AI. In collaboration with ABB and JCA, Ark has set new industry standards.

This advancement is pivotal for Ark’s future expansion, notably catering to subsequent-generation GPUs essential for expansive AI training and inference tasks. These systems, capable of performing trillions of calculations per second, are indispensable for high-volume digital services across myriad sectors including research, healthcare, finance, media, and entertainment, necessitating robust and efficient electrical support systems.

Ark’s Chief Operating Officer, Andy Garvin, acknowledges the transformative power of AI in accelerating data centre growth, underscoring the partnership with ABB as instrumental in delivering this unprecedented solution that bolsters Ark’s ability to face emerging challenges and underpin the UK's digital pursuits.

According to Stephen Gibbs, UK Distribution Solutions Marketing and Sales Director at ABB Electrification, this ground-breaking medium voltage UPS innovation is crucial for addressing the massive energy demands of forthcoming high-density technology, futureproofing the infrastructure for eventually megawatt-powered servers. This integrated medium voltage data centre architecture includes world-leading components like the HiPerGuard UPS, UniGear MV switchgear, and Zenon ZEE600 control systems, collectively minimizing interface complications and ensuring streamlined coordination across all project phases.

Complementing this narrative, Steve Hill, Divisional Contracts Director at JCA, highlights the benefits of a consolidated partnership for managing the switchgear, UPS, and control systems, thus reducing project complexity and ensuring impeccable installation and commissioning.

This pioneering solution not only delivers up to 25 MVA of conditioned power but also assures 98% efficiency during heavy loads, effectively creating more space for AI computing installations. By levelling power at the MV stage, the solution curtails the need for frequent generator use, consequently diminishing energy wastage, heat, and noise produced, furthering Ark’s aspirations of a cleaner and more sustainable operational framework, irrespective of the demands of high-density digital infrastructure.