The recently published IHS study, "Data Center Power Distribution Report - 2015," quantifies the market for transformer-based PDUs, remote power panels (RPPs), static transfer switches, branch circuit monitoring, and overhead busway. In this edition, the PDU and RPP categories are segmented by distribution voltage to allow IHS to track the trend toward 400 V AC architectures in U.S. data centers.
Although the majority of PDUs sold in the Americas are still 480 V AC , representing $129.8 million in 2014, the adoption of 400 V AC is growing. This new data supports the recently published "Rack Power Distribution Units Report - 2015," which found that 400 V AC rack PDUs accounted for 6% of the $418.0 million market. The outlook from data center power distribution equipment providers reveals that this shift is currently underway in the new North American data center.
Typically, the power architecture used in a data center depends on the standard voltage of the country where the data center is located. In North America, parts of Central and South America, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, transformer-based PDUs are typically 480 V AC . The transformer reduces the voltage, and power is delivered to the IT racks at 208/120 V AC . In contrast, most of the rest of the world distributes power throughout the data center at 400/230 V AC or 415/240 V AC . North American data centers have begun adopting 400 V AC architectures , as reduced electrical losses can lead to savings in electricity and infrastructure, contributing to overall increased efficiency.
This shift in power trends has significant implications for the data center power distribution hardware market and transformer-based PDUs in particular. Depending on the power path within the data center, using a 400V AC architecture could result in a PDU with a smaller transformer, or even eliminate the PDU altogether if power needs to be transformed elsewhere in the power path, such as at an upstream current transformer or in the UPS. Therefore, increased adoption of 400V AC could slow PDU revenue growth, unit growth, or both. However, it could boost sales of PRPs, which serve the same purpose of distributing power but lack the transformer.
 
 
 

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