Eaton Delivers Edge-Based Innovation to Help Mitigate the Impact of AI Power Bursting on Both Data Centers and the Grid

Intelligent power management company Eaton announced that it has achieved an industry-first solution for identifying large fluctuations in energy demanded by artificial intelligence (AI) computing infrastructure, known as AI power bursts. Eaton’s new edge-based solution, available via a firmware update for its Eaton Power Xpert quality (PXQ) event analysis system, helps detect potential subsynchronous oscillations (SSO) in data centers, enabling operators to more effectively protect critical infrastructure and enhance resiliency as AI energy needs grow.

The increasing power requirements of AI data centers have given rise to the phenomenon of power bursting – unforeseen spikes in energy usage due to the intensive computation needs of GPU servers powering AI workloads. SSO can cause severe, costly damage to both data center infrastructure and the grid, which may not be equipped to handle these large load swings, making it essential for operators to identify and mitigate SSO bursts before they lead to costly outages due to transformer overheating, ferro resonant damage and other impacts to equipment.

Eaton’s PXQ is a versatile power quality meter for switchgear, switchboards and power distribution units (PDUs) that integrates sophisticated edge analytics to streamline the identification and resolution of power quality events such as sags, swells, transients and harmonics. Now, through a PXQ meter remote firmware upgrade, customers can leverage their system to reliably detect SSO and allow operators to take preventive actions to resolve issues before they cause lasting damage to data centers and the grid.

“The energy demands of AI workloads surpass anything data centers and the grid have encountered before, with load fluctuations that can exceed the limits of existing infrastructure,” said JP Buzzell, vice president and chief data center architect at Eaton. “By enabling customers to harness their existing PXQ technology in new ways, we’re delivering a market-first capability to effectively respond to AI power bursts. Our SSO detection solution marks a major milestone in our grid-to-chip strategy, which empowers data center operators with innovative tools to address and manage the energy challenges posed by AI.”

Eaton’s grid-to-chip strategy uses intelligent power distribution systems, backup power solutions, digital offers and other technologies to help operators optimize white and gray space in AI data centers. Other key milestones in this approach include Eaton’s recent announcement of its collaboration with NVIDIA to help lead the transition to 800 VDC power infrastructure to support 1 megawatt racks and beyond, as well as its collaboration with Siemens Energy for a fast-track approach to build data centers with integrated onsite power.

Eaton will be showcasing its grid-to-chip solutions at Yotta 2025, Sept. 8-10 in Las Vegas in booth #319. Additionally, Eaton experts JP Buzzell and Peter De Bock, vice president of energy and cooling, will present in sessions at the conference on opportunities to meet AI data center energy challenges in an evolving landscape.

To learn more about Eaton’s new edge-based solution for SSO detection, visit Eaton.com/PreventSSO. To learn more about Eaton’s full range of innovative power management technologies for AI data centers, visit Eaton.com/DataCenters.

Eaton | www.eaton.com