Data centers are seeing increased demand in line with the expansion of AI technologies used across many sectors globally. As a result, power is needing to be ramped up as data centers take on their new role. IDTechEx's portfolio of Semiconductors, Data Centers, AI Research Reports and Subscriptions covers the latest trends and technologies across data centers and the wider computing market.
A dramatic increase in power demand
In line with AI pushing data center growth, there is a huge rise in power demanded by server racks within the data centers to keep up with training and inference. IDTechEx reports that before the introduction of ChatGPT, server racks were using approximately 20-30kW of power, yet in 2030, this figure is predicted to surpass 1MW. As well as this dramatic increase in rack-level power, an increasing number of GPUs are being linked together to achieve high computational abilities. This is expected to create issues surrounding existing infrastructure, which is not designed to accommodate such high power demand. IDTechEx's report, "Power Electronics Market 2026-2036: Data Centers, Electric Vehicles, and Renewables", explores how new data center designs must take into account power management in order to appropriately handle increasing demand. Alongside power architecture, thermal management considerations will also be imperative in accommodating these changes.
IDTechEx identifies the key characteristics of a transistor in power electronics that would be required for optimal performance. Breakdown voltage, conduction performance, switching performance, switching speed, thermal properties, and reliability are listed in the report, along with comparisons across multiple semiconductor materials. Other key trends happening within power electronics are also outlined, expected short term to long term, for not only data centers, but also for other sectors including electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Gallium nitride and increasing efficiency
Wide bandgap semiconductors are one approach explored by IDTechEx in their research to help create more power density and efficiency. Silicon carbide and gallium nitride are described as having larger bandgaps which can ultimately accommodate high voltages. The other qualities attributed to these semiconductor materials, such as thermal performance, are explored in more detail in IDTechEx's report. IDTechEx's other reports, "Sustainable Electronics and Semiconductor Manufacturing 2027-2037: Markets, Technologies, Forecasts" and "Sustainability for Data Centers 2027-2037: Green Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players", cover some of the latest developments within the data center sector, including ongoing sustainability efforts.
Gallium nitride in particular has been used for many consumer electronics applications. At high switching frequencies, which subsequently increases efficiency and reduces the size of gallium nitride devices, this material performs better than other options. This means that for data center applications it is expected to be favorable choice and will likely see commercialization accelerated by data center growth.
Despite gallium nitride proving to maintain high efficiencies when pushed to higher voltages and beginning to create an application overlap with silicon carbide, silicon carbide is expected to remain the incumbent material for high voltage applications. However, IDTechEx reports that gallium nitride is likely to see increased innovation and a broader application scope going forward where highly efficient and power dense electronics are concerned.
For more information, visit IDTechEx's portfolio of Semiconductors, Data Centers, AI Research Reports and Subscriptions for the latest developments and market forecasts.
