FEATURE

As AI drives higher rack densities and more dynamic power demand, the role of in-rack energy storage is expanding. High-rate nickel-zinc technology brings a combination of power density, rapid response and superior safety and sustainability well suited to the evolving needs of AI infrastructure. Brandon Smith, VP of Global Sales and Product, ZincFive, tells us more.

or years, the role of the Battery

Backup Unit( BBU) was relatively straightforward: provide backup power to keep the rack operating through a power interruption or until another source could take over.

AI is expanding what that job requires. Today’ s high-density AI infrastructure is not only operating at significantly higher power levels, but also reshaping how power must be delivered, managed and supported. Thousands of GPUs can transition together between compute-intensive and communication-intensive tasks, creating rapid changes in demand that occur on millisecond timescales. At scale, those synchronised fluctuations can extend beyond individual servers and racks, placing additional stress on upstream power infrastructure.

That creates two distinct requirements at the rack: backup power when primary power is interrupted and dynamic power response when workloads change. As racks become increasingly populated with high-value GPU and xPU infrastructure, the ability to maintain consistent power delivery becomes increasingly important to overall system utilisation and performance. It is also www. intelligentcio. com

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