VoltServer recently entered a strategic partnership with Eaton “to collaboratively advance next-generation power distribution infrastructure,” VoltServer said when announcing the partnership. The deal includes a strategic investment by Eaton in VoltServer, and VoltServer says the partnership “underscores both companies’ confidence in the long-term opportunity associated with Digital Electricity, as well as VoltServer’s vision for modernizing power delivery in the digital economy through software-defined power architectures that support direct current [DC].”

DC-based power system have grown in relevance and importance as AI, edge computing, automation, and electrification trends have accelerated demand for distributed power and in doing so, also have driven innovation in traditional electrical distribution. Through this partnership, the two companies will explore ways to leverage Eaton’s power management infrastructure portfolio and industry standing alongside VoltServer’s Digital Electricity platform and fault-managed power (FMP) expertise. The goal is to develop more intelligent, integrated, end-to-end power systems.

“We believe a fundamentally new approach to power distribution is necessary to meet new demands,” commented VoltServer’s chief executive officer Dave Johnson. “This partnership puts even more engineering expertise behind Digital Electricity and supports ongoing development efforts to address the needs of data center, commercial, industrial, residential, and utility environments.”

Eaton’s chief technology officer and senior vice president Michael Regelski added, “Our investment in VoltServer marks a critical step in accelerating advancements in next-generation DC power distribution architectures and FMP, placing us at the forefront of emerging power distribution technologies. As DC architectures become increasingly important for enabling more-efficient, scalable, and digitally managed power systems, this collaboration will allow us to explore the potential of FMP to help address evolving customer needs.”

The companies explained that initial efforts of the collaboration will focus on co-creating hardware and software solutions that are optimized for modern environments, where digital infrastructure resiliency, efficiency, and speed of deployment are critical. They expect the solutions being explored through the collaboration to help owners, operators, and developers of critical facilities in the following ways.

• Enable the delivery of safe power over longer distances than what conventional systems allow
• Reduce installation complexity with simplified, standardized designs
• Lower deployment costs through faster installation and less rework
• Improve operational flexibility by supporting rapid reconfiguration and scalable capacity