Global data centre company ST Telemedia Global Datacentres, or STT GDC, said on Feb. 3 it launched the FutureGrid Accelerator initiative and will begin operating an on-site testbed for high-voltage direct current (HVDC)-based AI infrastructure to meet power supply demands for next-generation AI workloads.

As AI and high-performance computing workloads expand, existing alternating current (AC) power systems alone are showing structural limits in providing the high power density and stability required by next-generation AI computing environments, the company said. HVDC is compatible with renewable energy that can supply power directly to direct current (DC) systems, reducing inefficient processes such as power conversion. Applying HVDC to AI workloads can enable up to a 30 percent reduction in total energy consumption, cut up to 400 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per megawatt annually, reduce copper use by 45 percent and shrink the installation footprint for power infrastructure by 30 to 40 percent compared with AC systems. This can support ultra-high-density racks of 1,000 kW or more while also strengthening stability and cutting costs.

The newly unveiled FutureGrid Accelerator is part of STT GDC’s efforts to build energy-efficient and sustainable AI infrastructure.

It was jointly designed by STT GDC and global power management solutions company LITEON, with Nanyang Technological University’s Energy Research Institute and deep tech spin-off Amperesand participating.

The project will be carried out at Nanyang Technological University’s Electrification and Power Grid Centre. LITEON will support a data centre power reference architecture, while Amperesand will support solid state transformer (SST) technology. Testing is set to be conducted in an environment that includes the latest AI servers, in power load ranges of at least 325 kW.

STT GDC plans to pursue adoption of the technology at new data centres in Singapore and to expand its application in stages across its global operations.

Bruno Lope (브루노 로페즈), a director and CEO of STT GDC, said, "FutureGrid Accelerator is a strategic investment to validate power infrastructure for next-generation AI workloads in real-world environments." He said the company would set a benchmark for technological innovation that improves sustainability and energy efficiency through cooperation with LITEON and Amperesand, and would accelerate digital infrastructure innovation and the energy transition together.

STT GDC plans to step up efforts to target the South Korean market starting with the launch of STT Seoul 1 operations in June.