Like transformers and switchgear, prefabricated busway systems (and their tap-off units) are in high demand. They represent yet another part of essential electrical infrastructure that cannot be built fast enough to keep up with data center demand. Designed to efficiently transmit large amounts of electrical power, they carry up to 6,300 amperes in a single run, meeting the extreme power demands of high-density GPU clusters.
The modularity of busway systems and busbar trunking systems frees up valuable floor and under-floor space in data centers, and they can be bolted together without the bulk of cable-and-conduit bundles.
Because of the long wait times for busways, data center operators are doing more forward-looking capacity agreements, paying manufacturers to reserve assembly line slots 2 to 3 years in advance for raw electrical materials (like copper and aluminum busbars). Some are also moving toward more standardized reference designs so that if a route is cancelled or equipment delayed in one facility, it can be plugged in to another construction site.
To learn more about the different implementations of busway systems in data centers, read today’s top story by Juan Pedro Tomás, who will take over writing this newsletter for the month of July, along with our colleague Christian de Looper.
I will return to the AI Infrastructure Daily on August 3.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
AI Infrastructure Top Stories
Cerebras accelerates DC expansion: “It’s a dogfight out there,” said Cerebras CEO Andrew Feldman when talking about capacity and the need to urgently expand, with plans in Israel, UAE, Australia, Singapore, India, and Indonesia
Analyst Angle – Sovereign AI’s bottlenecks: There’s a definitional problem in that the word ‘sovereign’ conflates three objectives under one banner: supply security, legal authority, and value capture. Vish Nandlall discusses 5 models to consider.
AI Today: What You Need to Know
Nvidia – Firmus 170k GPU factory: The two companies will build a dedicated 360 MW DSX AI Factory campus in Batam, Indonesia for “global AI natives, enterprise, and ISV customers” using a revenue-share/credit-support model.
Liquid Cooling manifolds $6.33B market: Between 2026 and 2033, the North America region is expected to register the highest CAGR of 32.3%, due to growing demand for high-density computing hardware and move to direct-to-chip cooling.
Pirating of DC components: Servers, cabling, and other high-value components are sometimes hijacked while transported, but thieves would likely have a difficult time on the black market because of the specialized nature and serial numbers.
Orbital wants 10GW in space: Spin founder/CEO Euwyn Poon of start-up Orbital has asked the FCC for permission to deploy up to 100,000 data center satellites for 10 GW of space-based compute, in line with the FCC’s Build America Agenda.
Fox News apologizes for O’Leary: Fox News issued an apology for airing unsubstantiated claims made by businessman and television personality Kevin O’Leary, who alleged opponents of his data center project are linked to China.
DC Blox eminent domain fight: Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell announced he will file legislation to use eminent domain to stop construction of DC Blox’s proposed DC next to the Nashville Zoo, which has triggered community concern.
RCR Events
Quantum Safe Networks Forum, July 14th
Quantum Safe Networks Forum brings together telecom operators, cybersecurity experts, and industry analysts to explore how to build resilient, future-ready infrastructure in the face of quantum disruption. Register now
RCR Roundtables AI Infrastructure, October 21st, Dallas, Texas
Join 50 senior data center, energy and AI leaders at the Ritz-Carlton Dallas on October 21 for invitation-only roundtables on powering and scaling AI. Request your invitation
Industry Resources
Webinar, June 29th: Agentic RAN Management: Delivering OPEX efficiency and a path to 6G
Webinar, June 30th: Building the 6G Standard: Key developments to know
Webinar, July 7th: Noise-Figure Measurements with RFmx and PXI VSTs
Webinar, July 16th: NTN in motion — evolving standards, expanding services
Whitepaper: Powering sovereign AI at scale
Whitepaper: Scalable database design for 5G and beyond
Report: Scaling AIOPs from insight to action
Summit Access: GSMA Device Enablement Summit: How operators can fix device-network fragmentation
Whitepaper: Telco AI Enabler: Mediation’s defining role
Report: Securing telecom infrastructure for the quantum era
Report: Scaling optical networks for the AI and hyperscale era
