Husker Engineer Aims to Make Data Centers More Energy Efficient | Newswise

Jun Wang, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, is working on a project to create a high-voltage semiconductor power module called LincolnPak that can improve the energy efficiency of data centers. Today's large AI facilities typically receive power from the grid at medium voltage, 13.8 kilovolts, before stepping it down to 480-volt alternating current. The electricity then passes through multiple additional conversion stages before reaching the chips inside the data center. Each step adds cost, bulk, and energy loss. Wang's LincolnPak technology proposes converting the 13.8 kilovolt AC power directly to an 800-volt DC distribution bus, requiring only two additional stages to reach the chip-level voltage. This reduces the number of components, lowers losses, and simplifies the overall architecture. The U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy recently awarded Wang a three-year, $1.8 million grant to further develop the LincolnPak technology. Wang estimates the system could reduce the footprint of the power conversion stage by at least 50%, cutting construction costs and simplifying cooling, while also improving operational efficiency and lowering the total cost of ownership for data center operators.