Microsoft is trying to use high-temperature superconducting materials that allow current to flow with "zero loss" to conduct a deep "rewiring" of data centers and power grids to cope with the staggering power demand and space pressure brought about by generative AI. The company believes that if this type of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) can be commercialized, it could revolutionize the way data centers themselves and the power transmission infrastructure connected to them are designed.
In the context of generative AI driving up energy consumption, large technology companies and data centers have encountered opposition in many places around the world, including excessive power consumption, delayed power grid access, and the impact of the construction of new data centers on the lives of surrounding residents. Microsoft noted that high-temperature superconducting cables have the potential to significantly compress the space required for data centers and the transmission corridors that power them, thereby mitigating the physical and environmental impact on communities. Alistair Speirs, Microsoft's general manager of global infrastructure marketing, wrote in a blog published that day that the company is exploring how to use this technology to "enhance grid resilience and reduce the impact of data centers on surrounding communities."
Current data centers and traditional power systems mainly rely on copper wires, which have relatively good conductivity efficiency, but copper wires still suffer from resistance and energy loss. In contrast, high-temperature superconducting cables can achieve "zero-resistance" transmission of current under specific low-temperature conditions, significantly reducing losses. At the same time, due to their extremely strong conductivity, the required cable cross-sections are thinner and lighter. This material has been widely used in nuclear magnetic resonance (MRI) equipment and has begun pilot applications on small sections of power lines in major cities such as Paris and Chicago.
However, HTS still faces technical and cost barriers to large-scale promotion in the energy and data center fields. First of all, it needs to be cooled to an extremely low temperature by liquid nitrogen or other means to reach the superconducting state; secondly, commonly used superconducting "strips" are mostly made of rare earth barium copper oxide. Although the amount of a single cable is not large, the relevant rare earth supply chain is highly concentrated in China, and production capacity and cost are both practical constraints. Experts say that the bigger challenge is how to quickly expand the manufacturing capacity of this superconducting strip so that it can compete with copper wire in terms of price.
In recent years, in order to meet the power demand brought by AI, technology giants have also become important investors in cutting-edge energy technologies such as nuclear fusion, and nuclear fusion devices themselves are using a large number of HTS materials. This in turn helps expand HTS’s supply chain, lowers costs, and creates conditions for wider application. Husam Alissa, director of systems technology at Microsoft, said "the rules of the game have changed" as fusion research drives diversification of supply and manufacturing, prompting the company to reassess the potential of such materials in data centers.
Alissa revealed that Microsoft values two main application scenarios of HTS: First, within the data center, it uses thinner and lighter cables to rearrange power rooms and racks to improve space utilization and flexibility; second, through cooperation, it promotes the use of superconducting cables in long-distance transmission lines to improve the ability of large data centers to connect to the power grid from the source. Funded by Microsoft, Massachusetts-based superconducting company VEIR completed a demonstration last year that proved that in a data center environment, HTS cables can be about 10 times smaller and lighter than traditional solutions while delivering the same power.
"The data center of the future will be superconducting: higher power, more efficient, and more compact." This is the judgment of Ziad Melhem, professor of practice in the Department of Physics at Lancaster University and editorial board member of the Superconducting Global Alliance. He also disclosed that he once worked for Oxford Instruments, which provides components for Microsoft's quantum computing system.
In addition to data centers, Microsoft is also willing to cooperate with energy companies and participate in the construction of long-distance transmission lines through HTS technology. The expansion of transmission channels has always been one of the bottlenecks restricting power grid upgrades, data center access, and the commissioning of new power sources. The approval process across multiple jurisdictions is lengthy and complex. According to estimates from Microsoft's blog, traditional overhead high-voltage lines usually require a corridor width of about 70 meters. With the use of superconducting cables, the required safe distance is expected to be reduced to about 2 meters, thereby theoretically reducing the construction period and land costs.
Dennis Whyte, a professor of nuclear science and engineering at MIT, believes that introducing HTS into power transmission and data centers is an "obvious evolution." Although he is not directly involved in the Microsoft project, he is jointly promoting the development of a fusion device called SPARC. This project is jointly promoted by MIT and Commonwealth Fusion Systems, which has received investment from Bill Gates' "Breakthrough Energy" fund. Whyte pointed out that the new demand brought by data center applications can in turn help nuclear fusion companies obtain HTS materials at a lower cost and promote the development of fusion energy technology itself. "This forms a complete cycle."
Microsoft has previously signed a power purchase agreement with another company building a fusion power station in Washington State, USA, and plans to directly purchase fusion power to power data centers in the future. In the AI-driven energy transformation game, superconducting cables are being seen as a key puzzle piece to compress physical space, improve efficiency, and "make way" for new clean power sources, and Microsoft hopes to be the first company to piece this experimental puzzle piece into real infrastructure.