Delta’s new ORV3 18 kW power shelves for AI servers

The high-efficiency 6-slot-chassis power shelf is specifically designed to enable substantial energy savings in AI servers. It includes Delta’s new 3kW power supply units (PSU), which boast over 97.5% peak efficiency and can integrate the power management controller (PMC), with PoE (Power over Ethernet) function, to enable smart power management in AI data centres.

Ares Chen, General Manager of Delta’s Power and System Business Group, said, “As AI, 5G, automation, and other advanced technologies are becoming driving forces in the server market, more and more clients are adopting the third generation of Open Rack to meet higher power demands. We have embraced ORV3 standards and leveraged Delta’s 50-year prowess in energy-efficient power solutions, to develop new power shelves that offer high scalability and efficiency for a wide range of applications, including hyper-scale data centres.”

Delta’s 18 kW power shelf conforms to the Open Rack Standard V 3.0 busbar definition to address higher power density needs. It provides 48 / 50 VDC output voltage rather than the traditional 12 VDC to reduce electricity distribution losses. The power shelf offers a maximum 18 kW power output or 15 kW with 5+1 redundancy which accommodates six 3 kW hot-pluggable power supply units. Each unit has a 150% load capability for 20 milliseconds to ensure protection from sudden current increases. The power shelf is scalable with extensive options of communication protocols such as PMBus over I2C and RS485 for secure monitoring and control.

Another highlight is the PMC with PoE function, which provides up to 1GbE Ethernet and allows PMC to work with the ORV3 power shelf for energy saving and optimal operational performance of data centres. In addition, both the power shelf and PMC can be customised in terms of hardware and firmware based on client demands to realise high energy efficiency for data centres.