Microsoft is investigating high-temperature superconductor (HTS) technology to understand how its data centers can meet the growing demand for power and how to improve its operational sustainability.
Superconductors offer a ‘lossless’ advantage, making power transmission more efficient, said Alistair Speirs, General Manager of Global Infrastructure Marketing at Microsoft in a recent blog.
“Superconductors let electricity flow with no resistance. This means we can move power more efficiently and increase capacity more quickly. Microsoft is exploring how this technology could make electrical grids stronger and reduce the impact datacenters have on nearby communities. Because superconductors take up less space to move large amounts of power, they could help us build cleaner, more compact systems,” he wrote.
Using this technology “could change how power moves through the cloud and support AI and other demanding workloads. To make this possible, we need to rethink traditional power designs and how datacenters move electricity today. By working with superconducting technology partners and system integrators, we aim to turn this advanced science into real solutions that help our customers and communities.”
Speirs said that data centers can benefit from HTS because they concentrate massive electrical loads in compact footprints.
“Traditional conductors force operators to choose between expanding substations, adding more feeders, reducing deployment densities or curtailing growth. Superconductors break this tradeoff: they increase electrical density without expanding the physical footprint, allowing modern facilities to support AI-era power requirements within the same or even smaller physical constraints,” he wrote.
Inside the datacenters, more power delivered directly to the racks supports high-density, high-performance workloads with improved efficiency, he noted.
Speirs said that HTS cables are lighter than copper and can carry current over longer distances, enabling further optimization of power distribution across racks and pods and reducing potential bottlenecks.
