The latest Chinese development in artificial intelligence is neither in the form of a chatbot nor a chip. It is in the form of a huge prefabricated electrical base to power data centers aimed at intensive computing loads. It may sound less striking, but it explains very well one of the underlying problems of the sector: data centers need more and more electricity, and that electricity must arrive in a stable, efficient way and with reasonable construction deadlines. China is trying to solve this less visible part of AI by converting the energy base into an industrial piece designed to be replicated.
A prefabricated electrical base. According to CCTV, on June 6, what the chain presents as the world’s first prefabricated base for computer centers went into operation in Qingdao. They explain that it is the energetic “heart” of the center, the piece in charge of supplying continuous and stable electricity. We are not talking about a room full of servers, but about the part that makes it possible for that room to work. Manufactured by TGOOD, it is about 53 meters long, 41 meters wide and occupies around 2,200 square meters.
From the construction site to the factory. To understand the change, let’s imagine the scene in reverse: instead of erecting each part of the electrical infrastructure on the ground, an important part arrives already integrated from the factory. In parallel, Xinhua describes the solution as a station that brings together high voltage transformers, medium voltage equipment, protection systems, control, communications and other components necessary to connect the center to the grid. The company ensures that its 167 functional modules are prefabricated and calibrated before arriving at the project.
Build sooner, occupy less. The interesting part is not only that the infrastructure arrives more prepared, but in what that promises to change in the schedule of a project. The prefabricated base promises to reduce the construction cycle by almost 70% compared to a traditional solution, occupy more than 30% less surface area and reduce the overall cost by around 20%. There is also talk of savings close to 80% in civil works and an execution that, in the fastest scenario, could be completed in five months.
The other front. There is another part of the proposal that should be separated from the construction deadlines: how the center is powered once it is up and running. According to CCTV, this base can be connected directly to green energy and promote its 100% local use, also relying on storage to better coordinate electricity supply and computing demand. According to figures reported by TGOOD and collected by Xinhua, the electricity cost per token could be reduced by around 30% if the system works as the company proposes.
A problem that is no longer marginal. The interest in this type of solutions is better understood when we look around. The International Energy Agency predicts that global electricity consumption by data centers will double to reach around 945 TWh in 2030, and recalls an important difference: a data center can be operational in two or three years, but expanding the network, generation and the rest of the energy system usually requires longer periods.
It’s not magic. The most reasonable reading is this: China is testing a concrete way to respond to some of the problems brought about by the expansion of data centers. Not all, not even definitively. This prefabricated base points to very physical challenges, such as available space, construction speed, connection to the electricity supply and, according to the figures reported by its promoters, a better fit with cleaner energy. In other countries we will see different strategies, because each network, each territory and each regulation has its own limitations.
Images | TGOOD
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