Feb 03, 2026 | Posted by Abdul-Rahman Oladimeji
ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC) is launching a direct-current (DC) data center testbed in Singapore. Called FutureGrid Accelerator, it is Southeast Asia’s first live High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)-powered AI infrastructure testbed.
Located at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) Electrification and Power Grids Centre (EPGC) on Jurong Island, STT said the accelerator is the region’s first live testbed demonstrating HVDC integration with real AI workloads, “addressing the high-density and high-resiliency requirements of next-generation AI computing.”
Chips inside servers actually generally run on DC power, but data centers receive and distribute the power in alternating current (AC). This leads to a merry-go-round of AC/DC swapovers, creating inefficiencies and losses. As hyperscalers look towards higher rack densities - including up to 1MW rack designs - companies are exploring DC distribution as a way to remove those inefficiencies and reduce energy loss. Solar and wind farms, and many fuel cells, also push out DC power, so colocated or behind-the-meter type deployments could benefit from fewer conversions.
