Asia Communication Infrastructure: 800VDC Architecture for Next-Generation AI Data Centers

Research evidence excerpt

Asia Communication Infrastructure: 800VDC Architecture for Next-Generation AI Data Centers

Asia Communication Infrastructure

17 July 2026 Citi Research

Key Equipment Demand Projection in 800VDC

Transition

We estimate an outline of per-GW data center IT load normalised comparison of

equipment capacity requirements across the two architectures, translating the

qualitative architectural differences into concrete capacity demand metrics.

There are four major categories that define the traditional AC power chain — LV

transformer/MSB, UPS and associate UPS battery, and PDU/RPP — will be

integrated into a STT system in the 800VDC architecture. For every 1GW of new

800VDC data center IT load built, approximately 2,083 MVA of LV transformer

procurement, 1,563 MW of UPS procurement, 1,500 MW of PDU procurement, and

326 MWh of UPS battery procurement are permanently forgone relative to the

traditional architecture, on our estimates.

The 800VDC SST architecture introduces the following new major demand

categories that have no precedents in traditional data center procurement:

n BBU power at 840 MW/GW (housed in the sidecar or in battery rack, providing

high-rate millisecond-to-second buffering), BBU battery at 76 MWh/GW (the

energy storage element of the rack-level buffer).

n BESS power requires 1,500 MW/GW at the facility level with BESS battery at 530

MWh/GW serving as facility-level energy storage, replacing the centralised UPS

battery and adding peak shaving capability.

n A DC distribution system of 1,500MW/GW will replace the traditional PDU.

n Notably, the SST replaces the LV Transformer & MSB on a one-for-one MVA

basis (2,083 MVA/GW in both architectures) — confirming that the total power

conversion capacity requirement is unchanged, but the device performing that