CUI sees first order for data centre power switch
The ICE Switch is designed and manufactured by CUI at its recently acquired Canada facility to connect to Virtual Power Systems’ (VPS) ICE (Intelligent Control of Energy) Software to provide dynamic power redundancy inside a data centre.
In a traditional data centrr, power is typically provisioned to be 2N redundant, meaning that 50% of the power infrastructure is untapped to provide redundancy if a failure occurs. The ICE Switch unlocks additional power by allowing data centres to use that additional power for 1N non-critical servers. This allows data centre operators to safely and reliably add servers without having to further invest in costly power infrastructure to support those additional applications.
The ICE Switch recently received UL/cUL and TUV 60950-1 safety certifications and has been deployed in several customer pilot programs since the beginning of the year. This initial production order is intended to support a quickly ramping customer deployment in China.
“The recent production qualification of the ICE Switch has allowed us to quickly move from market interest to market acceptance,” said Matt McKenzie, President of CUI. “We expect market adoption of the ICE Switch to continue at a fast pace, and then ramp when the ICE Block is released, providing a comprehensive suite of power solutions for our customers.”
The ICE Block, also manufactured by CUI, is currently progressing through the UL and TUV qualification process. Qualification is expected to be completed in Q4 of 2017, and when released, will work jointly with the ICE Switch. The ICE Block uses peak shaving principles to free redundant supply capacity by profiling power demand and employing battery storage. This allows it to manage peak demand using stored power.
“When we acquired the assets of our Canadian facility, we set out to develop innovative, market differentiating products with a senior team of talented individuals. The ICE Switch and Ice Block are the first of these products,” said McKenzie.
“We are excited to see customer implementations ramping-up for the Ice Switch,” said Steve Houck, CEO of CUI partner Virtual Power Systems. “This is just part of a ground-breaking Software Defined Power solution that we will bring to market in partnership with CUI in the coming months.”