ABB has delivered what it describes as the UK’s first turnkey medium-voltage uninterruptible power supply system for AI workloads at Ark Data Centres’ Surrey campus, in a project that aims to boost efficiency, cut generator use and free up space for dense compute.
Installed in partnership with Ark Data Centres and engineering firm JCA, the new UPS is designed to support Ark’s planned AI hub at the campus. The AI hub is expected to be home to the UK’s first deployment of NVIDIA Blackwell B300 GPUs, which are seen by many industry experts as the best AI GPUs currently available.
The new system is specifically sized to support capacity for high-performance GPUs used in large-scale AI training and inference. ABB says that’s because its MV power design brings the grid connection and UPS together at medium voltage rather than stepping down early to low voltage.
“AI is accelerating data centre growth and intensifying the pressure to deliver capacity that is efficient, resilient, and sustainable. With ABB, we’ve delivered a first-of-its-kind solution that positions Ark to meet these challenges while supporting the UK’s digital future,” said Andy Garvin, Chief Operating Officer at Ark Data Centres.
Medium voltage architecture for AI
ABB’s MV UPS deployment forms the backbone of the new power architecture at the site. Rather than treating the UPS as a bolt-on at low voltage, the system is integrated at MV level along with the switchgear and controls.
“We’re helping data centres design from day one for emerging AI workloads. Our medium voltage UPS technology is AI-ready and a critical step in meeting the power demands of future high-density racks,” noted Stephen Gibbs, UK Distribution Solutions Marketing and Sales Director, ABB Electrification.
“Delivered as a single turnkey solution, we are supporting today’s latest technology – and futureproofing for tomorrow’s megawatt-powered servers. ABB’s new medium voltage data centre architecture integrates HiPerGuard, the industry’s first solid-state medium voltage UPS, with its UniGear MV switchgear and Zenon ZEE600 control system into a single, end-to-end system. This turnkey approach eliminates interface risks and streamlines coordination across design, installation, and commissioning.”
According to ABB, delivering the grid connection, switchgear, UPS and controls as one package is intended to simplify coordination across design, installation and commissioning, rather than leaving the operator to knit together separate vendor systems.
JCA, which acted as a key delivery partner on the project, highlighted the programme and integration challenges that come with building out power infrastructure at this scale.
“Delivering a project of this scale brings challenges; Having one partner responsible for the switchgear, UPS, and controls reduced complexity and helped keep the programme on track. Working alongside ABB, we were able to coordinate the installation and commissioning effectively, so that Ark could benefit from the new system without delays or risks,” said Steve Hill, Divisional Contracts Director, JCA.
Efficiency, space and generator use
The MV UPS solution is rated to deliver up to 25MVA of conditioned power for the campus. At high load, ABB says the system can achieve 98% efficiency, which reduces electrical losses and in turn cuts the amount of waste heat that needs to be removed by the cooling system.
By stabilising power at the medium-voltage level, Ark and ABB also expect to reduce reliance on standby generators, limiting the need for them to step in to cover short-term disturbances. Less frequent generator runs can help cut fuel use and noise, and support Ark’s stated goals around operating cleaner, more sustainable facilities.
Running power distribution and UPS at MV rather than low voltage also allows more of the building footprint to be reserved for IT rather than electrical rooms. In this case, the architecture is designed to open up additional floor space for AI computing racks, supporting the kind of high-density deployments that next-generation GPUs require.
