The requirement for high-density power delivery to IT racks brings a number of challenges as conductors grow in size — busways and cables capable of supporting racks of 100 kW or more are costly, large and heavy. A related development in rack densification is the reenergized interest in direct current (DC) power distribution systems. The initial aim is to simplify IT power supplies and reduce their size, followed by an overhaul of the entire data center electrical chain in some future facility power architectures.

High-power DC distribution is where superconductivity becomes an interesting option. High-temperature superconductors (HTS) that operate above 77 K (approximately -196°C or -321°F, the boiling point of nitrogen at 1 atm) have been proposed to reduce conductor sizes and distribution losses in future high-power distribution systems without the need to step up voltage levels. These systems include the electrical backbones of data centers operating at medium voltage (10-35 kV). While superconductivity can be deployed in alternating current (AC) settings, it is better suited to DC — HTS cables are more efficient and can be smaller when DC is used.

HTS is progressing steadily toward commercialization. In the next two years, several projects are expected to test the HTS approach in practice. HTS is currently deployed in research projects involving nuclear fusion and high-energy particle accelerators. Uptime Intelligence noted its theoretical potential in data centers in 2025 (see Emerging tech: superconductivity in the facility).

HTS vendors for commercial applications say the technology will deliver lower capital costs, even when cryogenic cooling equipment is included; require less space and support increased power density without the need to upgrade distribution components; and improve overall system efficiency by reducing distribution losses.

Notably, the significant increase in the price of copper ($11,000 per tonne in 2026 compared with $8,000 in 2023) is also shifting the balance toward HTS solutions where they are practical. While increased power levels require a greater volume of copper in conventional busbars, HTS superconductors use copper-oxide ceramics in much smaller quantities. In addition, the price per meter of HTS conductors is falling rapidly as production increases.

Superconducting data center substation

The first deployment of HTS to support a data center is under development in South Korea. Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) and its project partners will build a superconducting power transmission for a data center campus in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province (about 50 km/32 miles northeast of central Seoul). It will carry power equivalent to that of a 154 kV transmission line while operating at 23 kV, allowing the use of smaller cables and substations one-tenth the size of those at 154 kV facilities.

The data center is due to be completed in 2028. KEPCO has gained experience with HTS substations through earlier pilot projects. In the longer term, KEPCO together with LS Group (an industrial conglomerate with electrical equipment and materials manufacturing capabilities) plan to pursue HTS opportunities globally.

Standardization and demonstrations

In another milestone, the Open Compute Project (OCP) has launched an HTS workstream to map out technical pathways for deploying superconductivity in data centers and to assess its business case, including total cost of ownership. The workstream aims to provide a forum for participants in the data center and electrification industries to coordinate and steer the development of technical standards for products and operations.

Early implementations will use proprietary vendor-specific connectors, and formal standards will need to be developed by bodies such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which has collaborated with the OCP in several areas. Safety standards will also be required from bodies such as the National Fire Protection Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the US, and from the International Electrotechnical Commission internationally.

Among the major data center infrastructure operators, Microsoft has been vocal about the potential of HTS. Microsoft engineers have proposed various ways to use HTS in a data center. Arguably the most radical proposal involves using low-voltage DC downstream of the substation, extending all the way to the racks. This would eliminate much of the power distribution equipment currently in use, including traditional UPS systems, transformers and large copper busbars.

While Microsoft has not made any formal commitment to using HTS, it has invested in superconducting cable vendor Veir and participated in a technical demonstration in which 3 MW of power was delivered to a rack through a 4-inch cable. Veir is conducting HTS tests with several potential customers and advocates an architecture that links the electrical room to modular AI pods using 35 kV cables, each carrying 250 MW.

Another example of commercialisation efforts for data centers comes from Rittal and Vision Electric Super Conductors (VESC) in Germany. The companies have jointly published a paper describing a design that distributes power at 800V directly to the rack through HTS busbars and is compatible with the OCP rack standard (see Meeting AI power density at scale: superconducting distribution for multi-MW data halls). VESC is developing a more formal reference design based on modular blocks of 10 MW of IT capacity for AI workloads.

Outlook

Data center power distribution has evolved only gradually and incrementally over several decades. In the coming years, a number of new data centers will introduce novel and, in some cases, radical approaches to electrical design tailored toward supersized dense facilities. Typical capacity block sizes are approaching, and often already exceed, 10 MW, while racks with densities above 100 kW are becoming common to support high-performance generative and technical computing workloads. As a result, the electrification industry is developing new power architectures that make greater use of medium-voltage distribution within facilities and DC power in the data hall.

HTS systems are an interesting option as data center electrification changes. Early deployments will likely be limited to specific use cases, such as HTS power distribution to and from the substation of a large data center campus. This will provide project and operational experience with HTS materials, installation, insulation, cryogenic cooling, and overall system reliability and maintainability.

The industrialization of HTS products for standardized, cost-effective volume manufacturing is also a work in progress. SuperNode of Ireland is working on HTS busbars based on a smooth-bore polymer cryostat. The busbars can be manufactured continuously and are flexible, making installation simpler. Another engineering challenge is the transition from cryogenic HTS operation to ambient temperature conductivity, while minimizing thermal leakage and distribution losses at termination points.

Last but not least, cryogenics is energy intense, with a coefficient of performance (COP) below 0.1 — every kilowatt of cooling capacity requires more than 10 kW of electrical energy. The combined length of feeders alone can reach several miles on large data center campuses, not to mention downstream conductors. HTS systems will require considerable cooling energy, potentially several hundred kilowatts for each large data center. This will need to be offset by reductions in distribution losses, alongside additional benefits in capital costs and space.