Superconductors could cut data centre power losses 90%

Tokamak Energy and The BE Company have published a study on the use of high-temperature superconductors in data centre power distribution, finding the approach could cut power losses by up to 90%.

The findings are based on a 10 MW data centre model in which copper in the power distribution system was replaced with REBCO, or rare-earth barium copper oxide, superconducting material. The study indicates this could also reduce copper use by 98%, increase system efficiency from about 90% to 99%, and lower total cost of ownership by as much as 50% over 15 years.

Conventional copper-based systems face growing limits as data centre operators support denser computing loads. As more power is moved around a site, heat generation, weight, bulk and electrical losses increase, raising cooling needs and putting pressure on available space.

High-temperature superconductors are designed to carry electricity with near-zero resistance when cooled to cryogenic temperatures. The study examined how this could work in a fully integrated data centre power system, including cooling requirements, thermal management at high current densities, deployment timelines, scalability and lifetime costs.

Among the reported results, power density at busway level was up to 3.5 times higher than in conventional systems. Lower cooling demand could also reduce carbon emissions by up to 90% and save millions of litres of water.

These findings suggest a potential shift in how operators design facilities for more power-hungry workloads, particularly as artificial intelligence increases rack and cluster densities. A lighter, smaller power distribution system could allow more IT equipment to operate within the same grid connection and physical footprint.

Material pressure

The analysis also highlights the strategic issue of copper supply. Data centres, power networks and electrification projects are all competing for the metal, and the study presents superconducting systems as one way to reduce that dependency in large facilities.

For Tokamak Energy, the work extends the commercial case for a technology more commonly associated with fusion research. The company has spent more than a decade developing superconducting systems through its magnets division and is now seeking wider industrial uses beyond energy generation.

The BE Company, which focuses on data centre infrastructure, worked on the feasibility study to assess whether superconducting power systems could be deployed in real-world data centre settings rather than remain a laboratory concept. It examined modular and plug-in designs intended to fit existing infrastructure planning.

Liam Brennan, Director of TE Magnetics at Tokamak Energy, said: "Tokamak Energy has pioneered transformative HTS technology for more than a decade and is committed to unlocking its full benefits to transform industries and improve lives.

"This study with +BE demonstrates the transformative potential for power distribution in high-demand environments such as data centres. This is a critical technology for supporting the UK's ambitions for energy resilience, digital infrastructure, and economic growth."

The companies position the work against the growing strain that advanced computing places on electrical systems inside data centres. As power demand rises, operators are under pressure to reduce losses, limit cooling overheads and avoid giving over more building space to electrical infrastructure at the expense of revenue-generating IT equipment.

Data centre demand

That pressure has intensified as operators build facilities for larger AI training and inference workloads. Higher rack densities can force changes in power architecture, leaving operators to decide whether incremental improvements to copper-based systems are enough to keep pace with demand.

Sath Ganesarajah, +BE CEO, said: "As rack and cluster densities rise, power delivery has become one of the largest opportunities for outsized gains in cost, efficiency, and performance. High temperature superconductors offer a step-change in current density, losses, and footprint.

"This collaboration shows how superconducting power distribution could enable high-density, AI-native data centres, with a practical focus on deployable architectures, cost profiles, and delivery pathways."