Schurter, innovator and manufacturer of electric and electronic components, aims to reduce losses when consistently using direct current in a data center. Regarding the power side, the IEC has defined the frame with TS 62735-1. The device side will take the same loop; AC and DC are supposed to coexist in a transition phase. Most of the lifecycles of the supply infrastructure are generally longer than those of the devices to be supplied, which are replaced more frequently by technological developments. Schurter’s goal is now to provide an AC/DC device plug which enables the device to be operated on both an AC and a DC supply. Thus, the change from the current AC supply can be switched to DC as required. The DC architecture contains significantly fewer components, as a consequence, only the supply cables may need to be replaced.
“If the server is already working off DC power, it makes sense to continue using it as consistently as possible throughout the chain.” Jonas Bachmann, Engineer R&D at Schurter
Standardized, high-quality components are required for the creation of systems in data centers. They need to support an easy and automated assembly process in order to ensure zero defect. According to the ABB, Amstein + Walthert or Stulz studies and calculations, by eliminating various transformations and conversions there is an increase in efficiency of 10 % from the supply to the server. Regarding the investment costs for the electrical infrastructure, one should work off the basis of a reduction of around 15 %. Considerably less space is also required for the electrical infrastructure (around 25 %). Furthermore, fewer components are installed quicker, serviced faster and cause fewer errors. According to NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone), the reliability is expected to increase tenfold due to the system being less complex. Jonas Bachmann, Engineer R&D explains: “The approach of providing a data center with DC voltage is obvious. If the server is already working off DC power, it makes sense to continue using it as consistently as possible throughout the chain.”.
