Currently, the accelerated implementation of AI applications has led to a significant increase in power consumption, directly driving up the demand for data center power. According to the International Energy Agency's 2023 data, the energy consumption of global data centers now accounts for more than 3% of global electricity consumption, and the peak power consumption of a single A100 GPU server has exceeded 10kW. The substantial increase in data center power consumption has posed new challenges to both the quality and quantity of power supply. As one of the important components in data center power circuits, the selection of inductors is crucial to the conversion efficiency and operational stability and reliability of data center power systems.
1- Data Center Power Supply Categories and Development Trends
Data center power mainly includes server power supplies, UPS uninterruptible power supplies, high-voltage DC power supplies, distributed power supplies/modular power supplies, etc.
1.1 Server Power Supply
In AI servers, GPUs, CPUs, and AI acceleration chips have extremely high requirements for power supply stability and efficiency. Servers typically use efficient DC-DC converters to provide stable voltage output, and inductors are indispensable key components in DC-DC converters.
As server power budgets increase while volume remains constant, power density requirements will become even stricter. Newly developed server power supply units (PSUs) have increased to nearly 100W/in³. In the future, server power will evolve toward higher power density, higher conversion efficiency, and smarter management to meet the growing demand for computing power. Improving converter efficiency through topology and component technology evolution is the solution to achieving high power density.
1.2 UPS power supply
UPS uninterruptible power supplies play a crucial role in ensuring continuous power supply for data centers. When there is a power outage or voltage fluctuations in the city power, the UPS can instantly switch to battery power mode (seamless power supply), ensuring that critical equipment in the data center (such as servers, storage devices, network devices, etc.) is unaffected.
1.3 High-Voltage Direct Current Power Supply
HVDC (high-voltage direct current) power supply systems offer significant energy savings in applications such as data centers. Because HVDC eliminates the inverter stage of traditional UPS (uninterruptible power supply), conversion efficiency can reach over 95%, effectively reducing data center energy consumption. According to relevant data, HVDC power supply efficiency is over 5% higher than traditional UPS solutions. Furthermore, because HVDC lacks an inverter, its mean time between failures (MTBF) is over 30% higher than that of UPS. As data centers continue to demand higher energy efficiency, emissions reduction, and reliability, market demand for HVDC power supplies will continue to grow.
1.4 Modular/Distributed DC Power Supply
To address the core challenges of data centers in terms of high reliability, flexible scalability, energy efficiency optimization, and operational efficiency in power systems, data center servers also adopt modular-designed distributed power systems. Modular power supplies not only dynamically adapt to computing power demands but also achieve fault isolation through redundant architectures, enhancing system reliability. Additionally, they can dynamically adjust the number of online modules based on actual load to improve operational efficiency.
Data center application schematic diagram
2- Inductor Requirements for Data Center Power Systems
In data center power systems, inductors serve as fundamental components with significant roles. Utilizing the principle of electromagnetic induction, they prevent current fluctuations, stabilize current output, and play a critical role in power conversion processes, affecting the energy efficiency and stability of the power system. Different power circuits have varying requirements for inductors.
In AC power systems, inductors are primarily used in power factor correction (PFC) circuits and EMI filtering. PFC inductors must withstand transient currents at high frequencies (tens of kHz to MHz) to prevent core saturation. The inductors use metal composite core materials, which exhibit electrical characteristics such as high saturation current, low core loss, and high temperature stability. Inductors applied to EMI filtering need to have high-frequency noise suppression capabilities, common-mode inductors must suppress noise in the MHz range, while also adopting low leakage magnetic design to reduce interference with sensitive circuits.
The DC power system includes two scenarios: one is the HVDC (high-voltage DC) system, with a typical voltage of 240V in the current domestic context. The other is distributed DC power (such as 48V direct supply). High-voltage DC power requires inductors to have high-frequency characteristics, with switching frequencies reaching the MHz level, using low-loss magnetic cores to support efficient DC-DC conversion. The inductors need to be designed for high-voltage isolation to avoid the risk of high-voltage breakdown. The inductors must have the ability to carry high currents and maintain low temperature rise under continuous high-current working conditions. At the same time, the inductors need to meet the demand for low parasitic capacitance to reduce high-frequency resonance issues. For distributed DC power, the inductors are required to have a small size, high power density, and low DCR to reduce overall losses.
Inductors in UPS systems are primarily used for inverter output filtering and battery charge/discharge management circuits. Inverter output filtering requires inductors to adopt a compact design with high power density, capable of handling currents above 100A in limited space while meeting low harmonic distortion requirements. The filtering effect can be optimized through the use of ferrite cores combined with multi-layer winding designs. Inductors applied in UPS power supplies must also withstand pulsed currents and exhibit anti-saturation characteristics during battery transient charge/discharge, hence, compact inductors with high saturation current are required for UPS systems.
Modular and distributed power systems require inductors to meet standardized and hot-swap design requirements, with strictly consistent inductor parameters, capable of adapting to heat dissipation in enclosed spaces, and an operating temperature range extended to -40°C~+125°C. In addition to traditional high-current inductors and integral inductors, the use of TLVR technology can enhance the transient response capability of inductors.
Data Center Power Architecture and Technical Characteristics (Based on Online Data)
3- Data Center Power Inductor Demand Trends
With the trend toward higher computing power, higher power density, higher frequencies, and greater integration in data center equipment, inductors are exhibiting the following development trends:
① High power density. The increasing power of AI data center computing hardware places a premium on inductors. Inductors must be able to handle greater power within the limited space of server power supply equipment and must also offer improved high-temperature resistance.
② High frequency and low loss. Data center PSUs are increasingly using wide-bandgap semiconductor devices such as GaN and SiC. Inductors are required to support these high-frequency devices while reducing core losses and improving system conversion efficiency.
③ Miniaturization and integration. In AI data centers, servers and AI accelerator cards are increasingly integrating more computing units within limited space, necessitating miniaturization of components, including inductors. This requires both reduced size and increased power density.
④ High reliability. Data center power systems operate continuously, and power outages or downtime are not tolerated. In addition to adopting redundant designs and backup power supplies, the reliability and temperature stability of components are extremely high, and the selected inductors must also possess high reliability.
4-Codaca Inductors Help Improve Data Center Power Supply Efficiency
As an industry-leading supplier of magnetic component technology, Codaca specializes in customizing inductor product solutions. Codaca 's independently developed inductors are widely used in AI servers, data center power supplies, and communications equipment.
To meet the high-performance requirements of electronic components in data center power supplies, Codaca has independently developed a variety of product lines, including high-saturation, high-current inductors, low-loss, lightweight, integrated molded inductors, surface-mount power inductors suitable for high-density mounting, low-inductance power inductors, and high-frequency, high-current inductors. Codaca inductors offer a saturation current of up to 350A, a power conversion efficiency of up to 98%, and an operating temperature of up to 165°C. These products are AEC-Q200 certified and suitable for use in harsh and complex operating environments.
Relying on professional inductor design capabilities and strong manufacturing and product testing capabilities, Codaca provides a wide range of low-loss, high-efficiency, and high-reliability inductors for server power supplies, UPS power supplies, etc., helping to improve the overall efficiency of data center power supplies.
Recommended inductor models for data center power systems are as follows:
Codaca's high-current power inductors such as CPEX/CPEA/CSBA/CSBX/CSCF/CSCM/CSCE, featuring high saturation current, low DC resistance, wide application frequency range, and broad operating temperature range, meet the demands of data center power systems for high operating current, high-frequency low loss, and high power density.
Molded power inductors such as CSAB/CSAG/CSHB/CSEB, with molded full-shielding structure, strong anti-EMI performance, low DC resistance, high current, and low core loss, meet the requirements of data center power systems for small inductor size, high current, and anti-EMI performance.
Surface mount power inductors such as SPRH/CSUS/CRHSM/SPQ/SPD/SPBL, featuring a magnetic shielding structure, strong anti-EMI performance, small size, and suitable for high-density mounting.
Low inductance power inductors CSHN series are designed for GPU power supply. The CSHN inductor, independently developed by Codaca specifically for server power supplies, features a fully shielded structure, strong EMI resistance, and excellent DC bias capability. Our high-frequency, high-current inductor series is designed specifically for high-current power applications, offering high energy storage, ultra-low DC resistance, and a compact size, making it suitable for VRMs and multi-phase buck regulators.
In addition, Codaca inductors are widely used in data center switches, routers, storage systems, and monitoring systems, including high-current inductors, integral inductors, common-mode/surface mount inductors, and more, all of which can be flexibly customized according to customer needs. For details, please contact Codaca sales or visit the Codaca website.