Seven Major Predictions Reveal the Turning Point of the AI Power Revolution! Infineon White Paper Previews Next-Generation Technologies

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This AI-driven power revolution is reshaping the entire power supply system from chips to the power grid.

Infineon's latest white paper puts forward seven key predictions, outlining the future scenario of AI power supply: In the next decade, the load current for a single processor will reach 10,000 amperes, ten times the current level; power rack ratings will exceed 100 kilowatts; AI server rack power consumption will surpass 1 megawatt; data center power demand will move toward gigawatt scale......

The company's Power & Sensor Systems Division President Adam White pointed out that since the launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022, the exponential growth of AI technology has brought unprecedented power demand challenges, forcing the industry to continuously break through the boundaries of innovation.

These predictions cover comprehensive changes from vertical power supply technology to DC microgrids, and will have a far-reaching impact on data center operators, equipment manufacturers, and investors. As AI workloads continue to grow, traditional 48V power architectures will be replaced by high-voltage DC systems, and the integration of renewable energy will become key to meeting the massive energy demand.

Prediction 1: Vertical power delivery will dominate future processor architectures

Infineon predicts that vertical power delivery will become a key technology in modern processors.

The white paper points out that GPUs and TPUs using state-of-the-art process nodes (such as TSMC N4P) are breaking through single-process limitations by integrating multiple silicon dies. As chip size increases and supply voltage drops to around 0.4V, total current consumption is expected to climb to 10,000 amperes within ten years. Traditional lateral power supply methods take up vast space and cause significant loss under such high currents, so electrical energy will be delivered vertically via the motherboard to the back of the processor.

Infineon provides a complete product portfolio from discrete power stages to four-phase vertical power modules, with the third-generation product reaching a current density of 2A/mm². The company combines OptiMOS™ 7 series low-voltage silicon-based MOSFET technology, chip-embedded packaging, and patented 3D integration processes to achieve unprecedented power density in vertical power delivery solutions.

Prediction 2: High-voltage DC architectures will replace the 48V ecosystem

When single rack power breaks through 1 megawatt, the system architecture must shift from the 48V ecosystem to 800V or ±400V high-voltage DC power. This shift is expected to occur when single rack power reaches 200-250kW, at which point the 48V busbar would need to carry 4100-5200A of current.

In the future, server motherboards will run directly at 800V or ±400V, requiring new modules such as electronic fuses and hot-swap functions. Infineon's solution based on XDP™ XDP70x hot-swap controllers and CoolSiC™ JFET technology can achieve controlled pre-charging and rapid disconnection in case of anomalies.

The company's 6kW 800V→12V demo board achieves a power density over 2300W/in³, with peak efficiency at 97.4% and full-load efficiency at 96.6%.

Prediction 3: AI rack power consumption enters the megawatt era

The white paper points out that training AI models with trillions of parameters requires thousands of GPUs to be integrated and run synchronously in the same machine. Since data transmission rate inside the IT rack is much higher than between racks, the industry trend is to integrate more GPUs within a single IT rack. When a single rack integrates up to 72 blade servers, the total IT rack power is expected to exceed 1 megawatt within ten years.

At such high power levels, internal rack space becomes the main physical limitation. AI racks will focus more on IT load and high-speed communication functions, while power modules, battery backup storage, and other features will shift to side cabinets or auxiliary racks.

Prediction 4: Power rack output levels will exceed 100 kilowatts

When IT rack power approaches 100kW, 12kW PSUs based on single-phase AC input can be upgraded while maintaining a compact 1U size. Each power rack accommodates six power modules (72kW), and each rack can be configured with up to eight power racks, laying the foundation for a 1 megawatt IT rack.

Infineon adopts a multilevel architecture in their 12kW PSU demo board: the high-voltage side uses 400V CoolSiC™ MOSFETs, while the secondary side uses 80V CoolGaN™ HEMTs. When a single IT rack’s power rises to 1 megawatt, data centers will shift from single-phase PSUs to three-phase PSUs, connecting directly to the 400V AC or 480V AC three-phase grid.

Prediction 5: Next-generation data center power demand moves toward gigawatt scale

With modern GPU power consumption constantly rising and dense deployment of AI nodes, the power demand of new data centers has reached the hundreds of megawatts level. In the coming years, specialized "AI factories" will appear, with power usage in a single data center campus reaching gigawatt scale, or even multiple gigawatts. Several hyperscale data center operators have announced related construction plans.

Infineon provides CoolSiC™ MOSFETs (400V to 3.3kV), CoolSiC™ JFET protection circuitry, and high-speed switching GaN HEMTs (80V to 650V), ensuring smooth and stable operation for gigawatt-scale data centers.

Prediction 6: Distribution systems will shift to DC microgrids

When power demand approaches the gigawatt level, entirely new distribution infrastructure will be needed. DC microgrids are considered the most promising architecture for shaping the future of AI data centers, with energy generated centrally from the medium-voltage AC grid (10-35kV) and distributed as high-voltage DC, eliminating traditional AC-DC power modules.

Solid-state transformer (SST) technology will play a key role, able to directly receive energy from the 10kV-35kV medium-voltage AC grid and provide stable, adjustable high-voltage DC distribution. Each SST is expected to output 2-10 megawatts. Infineon offers a wide range of CoolSiC™ MOSFETs and IGBT products for these applications (voltage range 750V-3300V).

Prediction 7: Renewable energy becomes the key constraint for AI development

According to the International Energy Agency, AI will be one of the three primary drivers of global electricity demand growth over the next decade. The electricity supplied to data centers globally from renewable sources is nearing 50%. To support the next wave of explosive AI growth, electricity must be sourced sustainably.

Infineon's expectations:

AI data centers must use renewable energy to break away from reliance on fossil fuels. Running a 1-gigawatt data center would require about 8 square kilometers of solar farms.
Nuclear power and small modular reactors will provide stable, zero-carbon energy in the future.
Although non-renewable energy will still play a role, the worldwide trend focuses on decarbonizing data centers.

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