GaN-Based Auxiliary Power Supplies Gear Up for AI Data Centers - Electronic Design

As AI data centers become increasingly power-hungry, auxiliary power supplies—though representing only a small fraction of total system power—play a critical role in ensuring system reliability and ef... Read original →

The adoption of 800-V DC architecture in AI data centers is transforming auxiliary power supplies from peripheral components into mission-critical subsystems. Power Integrations’ GaN-based reference designs for NVIDIA’s Kyber rack—integrating 1,700-V PowiGaN HEMTs with InnoMux-2—deliver >30% BOM savings and unprecedented power density, forcing silicon MOSFET suppliers to retreat from high-voltage, low-power segments. Regulatory pressures, including EU ErP and U.S. DOE efficiency mandates for >10W aux supplies, make GaN a strategic hedge against carbon-adjusted tariffs. Competitors like Navitas and Infineon will likely repurpose automotive GaN lines for data centers, but lack HVDC system integration expertise—a key barrier. Within 18 months, as liquid-cooled GPU clusters dominate, ultra-slim aux supplies will dictate rack real estate economics; Taiwan, China-based ODMs failing to co-develop 800-V GaN modules risk exclusion from next-gen AI infrastructure supply chains.