Envision Deploys China's First Commercial 800V DC Power System

Chinese energy technology company Envision Energy claims to have put the world's first integrated 800-volt direct current (DC) power system into service at a commercial data center. According to the company, the system is installed at the Galaxy AI data center in Ulanqab, Inner Mongolia.

The controller, called Dubhe Controller, and its supporting Dubhe Energy Foundation Model have been under testing at the facility since August this year. Envision says the new architecture delivers a simpler, more efficient power infrastructure while supporting higher computing density.

Multiple conversion stages collapse into one

In today's data centers, electricity from the grid must pass through several power conversion stages before it becomes usable. Envision's Dubhe technology instead converts 10 kV medium-voltage alternating current directly into an 800-volt DC bus. The company says this approach improves efficiency and significantly shrinks the footprint of the power conversion equipment.

The system rests on three core capabilities. The first is stable solid-state transformer (SST) conversion from 10 kV medium voltage to the 800V DC bus under varying operating conditions. The second is battery storage that provides second-scale power support and minute-scale backup power. The third is millisecond-level coordination between the SST and the storage unit, which smooths out fluctuations in GPU load on the spot.

Designed for AI workloads

The integrated battery support is meant to respond quickly to the sudden power surges typical of AI workloads and to provide short-term backup energy. Envision says the architecture supports denser AI racks, meaning more computing power can be delivered in the same space.

The Dubhe controller's AI-based power management is responsible for balancing energy supply against computing demand. The company also says the design is built to work with renewable energy sources and storage, offers a more compact layout, and reduces the need for copper and other cabling.

Galaxy campus and Mission Gobi plans

Under current plans, the Galaxy campus will scale to 3 GW of capacity and, over time, support up to one million AI accelerators. Envision says its own data shows the Dubhe system performing well, and the technology is expected to play an important role in expanding computing resources in Ulanqab.

The company also plans to use its 800V DC technology in its Mission Gobi initiative, which targets 5 GW of green AI data center capacity in desert regions by 2030.