The hidden power systems behind AI [partner content]

Data centers are known for their hulking exteriors, rows of blinking servers, and massive cooling equipment. But there’s an entire ecosystem no one gets to see: the electrical architecture that sits between the power source and the GPUs.

And as data centers integrate more battery storage, there’s little consensus on what that electrical architecture should look like. 

Batteries used to have one job inside a data center: keep servers on until backup generators kicked on. But today, they're being used to smooth out volatile loads, support onsite generation, and buffer the grid. And that shapes the power system around it.

In this episode, produced in partnership with Shoals Technologies, Stephen Lacey talks with Kishan Ponnadurai and Cayman Berg about the expanding role of batteries inside AI campuses, the shift from AC to higher-voltage DC, and navigating a market that is constantly changing.

This episode was produced in partnership with Shoals Technologies Group. For 30 years, Shoals has designed and manufactured the electrical backbone of critical energy infrastructure. Learn how Shoals' solutions are helping power data centers.