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Transforming 800 VDC: How Modern Transformers Enable AI-Scale Power Conversion
- CorePower Magnetics
- 8 hours ago
- 2 min read
As AI data centers adopt 800 VDC as their distribution backbone, attention is turning toward the next step in the power path: stepping down high-voltage DC to the much lower voltages required by processors and power modules.
This stage—whether battery-connected, rack-connected, or highly integrated with power electronics—depends on one component above all others: the transformer.
Why Transformers Are Central in the 800 VDC Era
AI data center conversion stages face a new set of constraints:
High input voltage
High switching frequency
Very high current on the low-voltage side
Tight thermal envelopes
Strict efficiency requirements
Transformers must support all of these while maintaining isolation and predictable leakage characteristics. In AI environments, where power levels can exceed hundreds of kilowatts per rack row, the transformer is no longer a commodity element—it is a system determinant.
Where Transformers Fit in Emerging Architectures
Transformers enter the 800 VDC architecture in several key locations:
DC-DC converters stepping 800 VDC down to lower bus voltages.
Often 54 VDC, or lower at the processor supply voltages.
Energy storage converters in hybrid and full DC systems.
Batteries and backup systems require isolated power stages.
Future solid-state transformer (SST) or MV→LV converter stages.
As medium-voltage DC architectures emerge, transformers will operate at even higher power density.
Integrated rack PSUs
In NVIDIA’s long-term model, racks may eventually operate natively at 800 VDC with localized step-down modules.
CorePower’s Approach
CorePower provides both engineered transformers and the forthcoming CPMTMAX™ standardized transformer family, designed for:
Medium-frequency operation
800 VDC DC/DC converters
Compact, thermally efficient construction
Controlled leakage inductance for improved switching behavior
Because transformer design parameters ripple through the entire system—impacting layout, switching frequency, and thermal management—early involvement is crucial.
Why Engineers Should Engage Magnetics Early
In many architectures, transformer parameters set the ceiling for:
● Allowable switching frequency
● Converter size
● Achievable efficiency
● Current ripple targets
● Thermal loading
When engineers bring magnetics into the conversation early, they avoid the common pitfalls that occur when electrical, mechanical, and thermal constraints are already frozen.
Transformers are not just stepping devices—they are enabling devices. In 800 VDC systems, they define what is possible.