High-temperature Superconducting Power Infrastructure
High-temperature Superconducting Power Infrastructure is a workstream of the OCP Future Technologies Initiative. As accelerator racks move toward hundreds of kilowatts and megawatt-class deployments, conventional power distribution faces growing challenges in current density, space, losses, heat, materials, protection, and maintainability. The workstream evaluates, in a neutral and technology-agnostic way, whether, where, and under what conditions HTS-based electrical infrastructure could become relevant for AI data centers. It defines use cases from grid interface to rack, develops candidate reference architectures, and charts a path toward validation and OCP contributions.
AI data centers are entering a new phase of electrical infrastructure demand. As accelerator rack power increases toward hundreds of kilowatts and potentially megawatt-class deployments, conventional power-distribution systems may face growing challenges in current density, space, losses, heat, material usage, protection, and maintainability.
High-temperature superconducting (HTS) power infrastructure may offer an alternative architecture for selected high-power data-center use cases. Its relevance must therefore be evaluated in a neutral, technology-agnostic, and OCP-aligned manner.
The goal of this workstream is to evaluate whether, where, and under what conditions HTS-based electrical infrastructure could become relevant for future AI data centers.
Goals
Evaluate whether HTS is relevant for future AI data-center power infrastructure.
Identify where HTS may provide value versus conventional systems.
Define suitable use cases from grid interface to whitespace and rack-level distribution.
The scope of the workstream is to define the system boundaries, interfaces, and technical building blocks required for an OCP-aligned HTS power-infrastructure reference architecture for future high-density AI data centers.
In Scope
Grid-to-data-center electrical interface for HTS integration.
Medium-voltage to low-voltage HTS interface concepts.
HTS power distribution from electrical rooms to whitespace.
Row-level, rack-level, and selected server-interface concepts.
HTS tap-off and connection concepts.
Cryogenic infrastructure, monitoring, redundancy, and maintainability.
Protection philosophy, fault behavior, and HTS fault-current limiting.
Fire interaction, emergency response, and hazard mitigation.
Technical standards, code applicability, and OCP interface points.
Comparison with copper and aluminium alternatives.
Techno-economic, space, material, and energy-loss assessment.
Supply-chain maturity and commercial deployment readiness.
SMES as an adjacent HTS-enabled use case, where relevant to data-center power architecture.
