Vertiv has introduced the Vertiv PowerNexus MV UPS, an outdoor medium-voltage system designed to help AI data centres connect to the grid faster and free up indoor space for computing equipment.
The system is targeted at hyperscale, colocation, and neocloud operators seeking to address electrical grid queues and indoor facility limitations.
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The US-based company expects commercial shipments to commence in mid-2027.
By positioning the equipment externally on a single-vendor skid directly at the utility point of connection, the system relocates core power components out of the data hall.
This layout allows operators to dedicate more internal floor area to revenue-generating computing capacity.
Vertiv power management business unit senior vice president Kyle Keeper said: “Data centres are facing new infrastructure challenges, including grid queues that can delay deployment and revenue generation, indoor space constraints that limit compute density, and evolving grid requirements that can challenge traditional infrastructure and architectural approaches.
“The Vertiv PowerNexus MV UPS is designed as a system-level response to those challenges, combining medium-voltage power protection, fault ride-through and AI power smoothing in an outdoor platform designed to operate with long-duration energy storage, helping operators to focus on deploying compute, not coordinating infrastructure.”
The line-interactive system reaches an operating efficiency of up to 98.5% at peak loads and provides Class 1 critical load protection under IEC 62040-3 standards.
When paired with long-duration battery systems, the platform delivers up to four hours of backup power, which Vertiv notes can reduce reliance on standby diesel generators.
The architecture is also designed to absorb sudden power swings caused by AI workloads to protect grid stability. Operators can simulate dynamic grid interactions before installation using a Power Systems Computer Aided Design model.
Before the commercial release, Vertiv conducted proof-of-concept demonstrations alongside QTS, SoftBank, and Rosendin at its Global Power R&D and Customer Experience Center in Bologna, Italy.
The evaluation confirmed operational stability across loads from 0% to 100%, Class 1 voltage precision during rapid load variations, and fault ride-through performance during a 100% voltage sag for 150 milliseconds and a 25% overvoltage event lasting five seconds.
To support the architecture, Vertiv is constructing a dedicated Medium Voltage Laboratory at the Bologna site, with operations scheduled to start in 2027.
The facility will handle research, full-voltage validation, customer demonstrations, service training, and testing across medium-voltage equipment, including battery energy storage and conversions from medium voltage to 800VDC.
