UL Solutions announced a new industrywide effort with the Open Compute Project, ABB and Eaton to review and enhance safety standards for data center power distribution as AI infrastructure scales. The initiative targets the rapid shift toward higher-voltage power architectures required to support dense AI compute, with a focus on enabling large-scale deployments without compromising worker or operational safety.
As AI accelerators push power demands higher, data center designs are moving power conversion away from traditional in-rack layouts toward standalone power units. This transition drives system voltages from historically low levels to roughly 800 volts DC today, with roadmaps extending toward 1,500 volts DC. While higher voltages improve efficiency and free rack space for compute, they also introduce electrical hazards that many local codes and inspection regimes do not yet fully address.
To close those gaps, UL Solutions is leading a Codes and Standards workstream within OCP’s new Power Distribution sub-project, alongside co-leads ABB and Eaton. The group plans to conduct a comprehensive gap analysis across existing requirements and identify updates needed for dozens of standards covering components such as switchgear, panelboards, busbars, cables and overcurrent protection devices. UL Solutions will also convene regulators and standards bodies, including UL Standards & Engagement, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the National Electrical Code (NEC), to align on science-based guidance for higher-voltage DC operation in data centers.
- Focus on higher-voltage DC power architectures, moving from ~800 VDC toward 1,500 VDC
- Codes and Standards workstream launched within OCP’s Power Distribution sub-project
- Gap analysis planned across component and system standards used in AI data centers
- Collaboration includes IEC, IEEE and NEC to align global and regional safety guidance
- Emphasis on workforce training, commissioning practices and interoperability
“AI is changing how data centers are developed, and we need a clear, practical way to keep people safe as power architectures evolve,” said Jeff Smidt, senior vice president of Testing, Inspection and Certification, Industrial, at UL Solutions. “By convening standards bodies, regulators and industry leaders through the Open Compute Project, we aim to deliver the important standards revisions, workforce training programs, and commissioning practices needed to scale AI safely.”
🌐 Analysis
The move toward 800–1,500 VDC power distribution aligns with broader hyperscale and OCP discussions on reducing conversion losses and supporting rack-level power densities driven by next-generation AI accelerators. By anchoring this effort within OCP and formal standards bodies, UL Solutions and its partners are positioning safety and interoperability work to advance in parallel with rapid AI data center buildouts rather than lagging deployments.
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