British battery technology company Superdielectrics has released independent test results for its aqueous zinc battery and is targeting the energy storage system (ESS) market for AI data centres. The company said it offers a longer lifespan than lithium-ion batteries, faster charging and discharging and higher safety in high-power settings.

On July 13 local time, IT outlet TechRadar reported that Cambridge-based Superdielectrics unveiled next-generation aqueous zinc battery technology aimed at AI data centres and renewable energy facilities.

The company is focusing on the AI data centre market. AI data centres can see sharp, momentary spikes in power use during large-scale computing. That is increasing the importance of energy storage systems that can absorb peaks and charge and discharge quickly.

Superdielectrics explained that its battery is suited to such high-power environments and can be used not only for storing electricity linked to renewables but also for stabilising power for critical infrastructure.

The core technology is an in-house polymer separator. Based on patented technology, it is designed to let ions move quickly in an aqueous electrolyte environment. The company stressed that using zinc, a relatively abundant metal, can provide competitiveness in raw material costs and supply chain stability compared with lithium-ion batteries. It said zinc, unlike lithium, is relatively less affected by supply chain risks and geopolitical variables.

The company also released independent test results. It said that in repeated charge-discharge tests at room temperature, its zinc battery recorded up to 13 times longer life than a single lithium-ion cell. The test conditions were 10 minutes of charging and 10 minutes of discharging, with 100 percent depth of discharge (DoD).

Discharge performance also improved. The battery maintained more than 85 percent of rated capacity within 36 seconds, showing performance improved by about 10 times versus existing lithium-ion cells. Charging recovered more than 70 percent of rated capacity in 1 minute 12 seconds, an improvement of about 8 times, the company said.

Shelley Brown (셸리 브라운), Superdielectrics' chief technology officer, said the test was independent performance verification of the core technology. "The polymer separator provides fast ion movement and the high safety of an aqueous electrolyte at the same time," Brown said. "It is an energy storage technology suited to environments where high power and frequent charging and discharging are repeated."

"Current lithium-ion-based systems often require excessive capacity expansion and separate safety facilities to handle high power loads," Brown added. "Aqueous zinc batteries can be an alternative that reduces this burden."

The company also highlighted applicability to data centres. Lithium-ion-based energy storage systems are often installed outside data centres due to fire risks. Superdielectrics said zinc batteries using an aqueous electrolyte have relatively lower fire risk and could also be suitable for installation inside data centres.

It said lithium-ion batteries degrade quickly in environments with frequent charging and discharging, such as AI data centres, while zinc batteries see less performance degradation even in such conditions.

Brown said many data centres are building storage systems with larger capacity than actually needed due to lithium-ion battery lifespan issues. "Our technology is focused on reducing this over-engineering burden," she said.

Challenges remain for commercialisation. Zinc batteries are generally known to have lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries. Superdielectrics also did not disclose specific figures related to energy density or storage capacity in this announcement. That has prompted remarks that additional verification is needed on whether it can fully replace lithium-ion batteries at large data centres that require long-duration backup power.

The industry sees the key competitiveness as whether, when expanded into rack-level products, it can go beyond a simple power buffering device and serve as a true long-duration energy storage system.

Competition to develop non-lithium batteries that emphasise safety is also continuing. Chinese researchers are studying aqueous battery technology, and the automotive industry is expanding the use of sodium-ion batteries. Sodium batteries, in particular, are assessed to perform well in low-temperature environments and are widening their scope in the electric vehicle market. Against that backdrop, attention is focused on whether Superdielectrics' aqueous zinc battery can prove real commercial competitiveness in the AI data centre market.