STMicro expands datacenter power
STMicroelectronics expanded its 800 VDC AI datacenter power conversion portfolio with new 12V and 6V architectures in collaboration with NVIDIA — a move aimed at improving datacenter power efficiency and density. The announcement ties into broader rack and power architecture trends for large AI deployments. (globenewswire.com)
ST’s announcement on March 17, 2026 builds on its October 2025 prototype work and rounds out a product stack that now spans 800 VDC-to-50V, 12V and 6V conversion paths. (mlq.ai) A GaN-based LLC converter in ST’s 800 VDC program completed full-power testing at 12 kW continuous output with reported efficiency above 98% and a power density exceeding 2,600 W/in³ at 50V. (newsroom.st.com) The 12V architecture explicitly removes the legacy 54V intermediate stage, while the 6V path is described as moving the low-voltage bus closer to the GPU to cut copper use and resistive losses. (itnewsonline.com) ST says the 50V, 12V and 6V intermediate DC buses will coexist and be selected based on rack density, GPU configuration and cooling strategy for each deployment. (itnewsonline.com) ST’s designs combine silicon power, silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices along with analog/mixed-signal ICs and microcontrollers in custom chip-and-package implementations. (itnewsonline.com) The expanded portfolio and demonstrations were showcased in the context of NVIDIA’s 800 VDC reference architecture at GTC 2026, aligning with NVIDIA’s roadmap that targets 1 MW IT racks and larger deployments starting in 2027. (marketchameleon.com) ST positions the direct 800 VDC-to-12V/6V conversion approach as a way to reduce conversion stages, cut system-level losses and shrink cabling and infrastructure footprint in gigawatt-scale AI compute deployments. (marketchameleon.com)
