At the 16th China International Energy Storage Conference (CIES 2026), Ji Duopeng, Director of Data Center Solutions at Guangdong Zhiguang Integrated Energy Co., Ltd. (“Zhiguang Integrated Energy”), delivered a presentation titled “A New Paradigm for Data Center Energy Infrastructure” during the Cascaded High-Voltage and Computing-Power Energy Storage Forum. He discussed the innovative advantages of Zhiguang Electric’s Coota solid-state transformer (SST) in supporting the rapid evolution of high-density AI computing.
During his presentation, Ji noted that AI computing is rapidly evolving toward higher power, greater density, and larger-scale deployment. Rack power is increasingly moving towards the megawatt range which places greater demands on data center power capacity, energy efficiency, and space utilization.
Traditional power supply architectures have inherent limitations such as complex power conversion chains, high energy losses, large equipment footprints, and high material and operating costs. These limitations are becoming a major bottleneck for the development of the AIDC industry, as traditional architectures are increasingly unable to meet the demands of high-density computing.
Ji explained that the Coota SST represents a fundamental transformation of the underlying power architecture and is designed to meet the power requirements of next-generation AI computing centers.
1.Improving Energy Efficiency for High-Power Computing
Coota enables one-step conversion from 10 kV AC to 800 V DC which eliminates multiple stages of power distribution and conversion used in traditional technologies. The system achieves an overall operating efficiency of up to 98.5%, helping optimize the data center’s Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) and address the high energy consumption associated with high-power AI computing.
2.Adapting to Highly Dynamic Loads
Coota provides grid-forming capability, enabling it to respond to sudden changes in AI computing loads and effectively smooth pulse-like load fluctuations. This helps mitigate power-quality issues such as voltage flicker and DC bus voltage drops.
3.Supporting the Expansion of High-Capacity Computing Clusters
With a single-unit capacity of up to 4.2 MW, Coota uses a highly integrated modular design to reduce its footprint by more than 60% compared with traditional power distribution solutions. This addresses the large footprint of conventional power distribution equipment and reduces the amount of valuable data center space occupied by power infrastructure, freeing up additional room for large-scale expansion of high-density computing clusters.
Looking ahead, Zhiguang Integrated Energy will continue to develop power supply solutions for computing infrastructure and to optimize its integrated energy solutions for high-density computing. The company aims to support the continued development of the AIDC industry through its advanced power technologies.
