Enteligent White Paper Shows 800VDC Architecture Reduces Data Center Costs and Energy Waste
Enteligent, a developer of advanced direct current (DC) power infrastructure designed for high-density computing environments, has released a comprehensive new white paper outlining how 800VDC power systems can dramatically improve efficiency, thermal performance, and overall economics in next-generation AI and GPU-driven data centers. The report provides a detailed technical and financial analysis demonstrating why legacy alternating current (AC) power architectures are increasingly unable to support the demands of modern AI compute clusters — and why 800VDC, paired with 50VDC server-level architectures, represents the logical and inevitable evolution of data center power design.
As artificial intelligence workloads continue to expand at unprecedented rates, the power infrastructure supporting them is under mounting pressure. Traditional AC-based systems were engineered decades ago for an entirely different computing paradigm — one centered on far lower rack densities and significantly reduced power requirements. Historically, most enterprise data centers operated within rack power densities ranging from 3 kW to 12 kW. In contrast, today’s AI training clusters and GPU-accelerated systems routinely exceed 50 kW per rack, with many deployments rapidly approaching or surpassing 100 kW.
This dramatic increase in power density exposes fundamental limitations in conventional AC architectures. According to Enteligent’s white paper, AC power paths struggle to scale economically and reliably under these conditions. The constraints are driven by multiple factors, including thermal management challenges, conductor sizing requirements, voltage drop considerations, and cumulative conversion losses that occur at various stages of power distribution. As rack densities rise, these inefficiencies compound, often requiring multiple parallel cable runs and oversized infrastructure — significantly increasing both material costs and installation complexity.
High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) systems, particularly 800VDC distribution, address these challenges at their root. By delivering power at higher voltage and distributing DC directly within the facility, conversion steps are reduced or eliminated, improving overall system efficiency. Fewer conversion stages translate into lower energy losses, less heat generation, and improved reliability across the power chain. The white paper quantifies these benefits, showing how a streamlined DC-native architecture can outperform legacy AC designs in both performance and cost metrics.
“We’ve reached a turning point where power architecture is just as vital as compute power,” said Chris Evanich, New Electrical Distribution Leader at Schneider Electric. “The industry shift toward 800VDC power systems is driven by the need to increase power density inside the AI rack, which can lead to even better efficiency in the power train. To lead this charge, Schneider Electric is closely collaborating with Enteligent and partnering with the Open Compute Project (OCP) and Current OS to standardize DC architecture specifically for the AI era.”
The collaboration with Schneider Electric and alignment with Open Compute Project standards underscores a broader industry transition toward DC-native designs. Standardization efforts are critical as hyperscale and AI-first data centers expand into multi-megawatt and even gigawatt-scale facilities. The white paper emphasizes that 800VDC is not merely an incremental improvement, but rather a foundational shift designed to support the next decade of compute growth.
One of the most transformative impacts of 800VDC systems lies in materials and infrastructure optimization. Because higher voltage DC distribution reduces current for a given power level, conductor sizes can be smaller and fewer cables are required. Enteligent’s analysis indicates that HVDC architectures can reduce copper usage by as much as 50% to 80% compared to conventional AC systems. This reduction not only lowers material costs but also simplifies installation, reduces structural load, and improves airflow and thermal management within the facility.
“As AI racks push significantly beyond 50 kW and move toward 100 kW and higher, legacy AC power architectures become increasingly difficult to scale,” said Mark Vena, CEO and Principal Analyst at SmartTech Research. “High-voltage DC distribution is gaining traction because it aligns power delivery with modern compute requirements while improving efficiency and reliability, providing long-term and cost-efficient infrastructure economics.”
The financial implications outlined in the white paper are substantial. In a typical 10 MW data center build, transitioning to an 800VDC architecture can eliminate or consolidate many components of the complex upstream AC infrastructure. This simplification results in capital expenditure (CapEx) savings estimated between $4 million and $8 million per 10 MW deployment. These savings stem from reduced equipment counts, lower material usage, simplified installation processes, and decreased labor requirements.
Operational expenditures (OpEx) also see measurable improvements. By reducing conversion losses and increasing end-to-end efficiency, 800VDC systems can lower annual energy-related operating costs by approximately 8% to 12%, according to the report. Over the lifetime of a hyperscale facility, these savings compound significantly, contributing to a lower total cost of ownership (TCO). For operators managing multiple large-scale campuses, the economic impact can be transformative.
Beyond financial benefits, thermal performance improvements are equally important. Reduced power conversion stages mean less waste heat generation within power distribution units and supporting infrastructure. This leads to lower cooling demand, improved system reliability, and enhanced uptime. In high-density AI environments where thermal management is already a major engineering challenge, these gains can improve both performance stability and hardware longevity.
“For hyperscale, GPU, and AI-first data centers, HVDC power is the required foundation for the next decade of compute growth,” said Sean Burke, CEO at Enteligent. “The significant benefits across both CapEx and OpEx will be enormous as data centers scale into multi-megawatt and gigawatt operating domains.”
The white paper positions 800VDC architecture not as a niche innovation, but as a strategic response to the accelerating power demands of AI workloads. As generative AI, large language models, and high-performance computing clusters continue to expand, data center operators face mounting pressure to deploy infrastructure that is efficient, scalable, and economically sustainable. Enteligent argues that incremental improvements to AC systems will not be sufficient to meet these demands.
Instead, the company advocates for a DC-native approach that integrates 800VDC facility-level distribution with 50VDC server architectures, creating a streamlined power ecosystem optimized for modern compute. The report concludes that industry alignment, standardization through organizations like OCP, and collaboration among infrastructure leaders will be key to accelerating adoption.
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