Supercapacitors: Solving AI’s Energy Spikes

In the United Kingdom, the electric provider faces the national network a problem Every time there is a football match on it (or any other TV event that is widely displayed for this issue): during the first half, or a commercial break, a large number of viewers go to run their tea boilers. This very British coordinated activity attracts the energy network, causing mutations sometimes thousands of megawatts.

in Artificial intelligence trainingA similar phenomenon can occur every second. Since the training is organized simultaneously among thousands of thousands of graphics processing units in huge data centers, and with each new generation of GPU consumes an increasing amount of energy, each step of the account is compatible with a huge energy high. Now, at least three companies come out of a solution to soften the pregnancy range SuperCAPACITORSTo these data centers.

“When you have all these GPU groups, all of which are linked together in the same work burden, they will be run and stop at the same time. This is a basic transformation,” he says. Joshua BoujelVice president and chief architect of the data center in the electrical equipment supplier Etone.

These coordinated nails can go to the energy network, and there is the case and promised the worst instead of the best in the near future. “The problem we are trying to solve is the language models that may range from 10 to 20x, perhaps larger than 100x,” says Buzzell.

Amnesty International is sometimes used energy in short fireworks, causing the power network to see a violent vibrant load (blue). The banks of high capacitors can store energy on short time domains (purple), compensate for strengths of artificial intelligence and create a smoother request on the network (red). Siemens Energy

One solution is to rely on energy supplies and backup batteries for charging and unloading, and providing additional energy quickly. However, it is very similar to the deterioration of the phone battery after multiple recharge cycles, the lithium -ion batteries deteriorate quickly when charging and unloading at this high rate.

Another solution is the fake accounts, which are run while there are no mutations, to soften the demand. This makes the network see a consistent load, but it also waste the energy that does an unnecessary job.

Many companies come out with a new solution using super condenser banks. Super capacitors contain two parallel plates, such as regular capacitors. But they also have an electric layer between the panels, closer to the battery. However, while the batteries store the energy chemically, the high -energy capacitors store electrostically, without the need for an interaction. This allows them to freely charging and discharged, providing a short -time backup reserve that does not decompose significantly over time. Siemens Energy It is selling E-statcomSuperCAPCITOR to be connected in parallel with pregnancy at the entire data center level. They can charge and empty time domains, and they can ride up to 75 megawatts per unit, and have been constantly promised between 12 and 20 years. The company is currently looking for customers in the data center space.

Etone sells Xlhv (Among the other configurations), SuperCAPCITOR with one unit size of the server shelf (156 millimeters of 485 mm in a depth of 605 mm). One unit can save up to 420 kilowatts of energy, and can also last up to 20 years. Some of these products are already published in data centers.

and Electronics Delta It is selling CapacitySize condensate bank 1 units of Li -Eyon units are able to support 15 kW for a period of up to 5 seconds. “The capacitors chosen from Delta Electronics were chosen in the middle of the road between the superconditions and lithium batteries.”

These products and other of these products can help calm the fluctuations of pregnancy on the network. “This is part of becoming a good citizen for a network,” tells me. “So, instead of seeing all this volatility that belongs to the network, we can take all the pulses and low points and only live those that the facilities provide more or less medium strength.”

This becomes particularly important when moving to renewable energy sources. Providing energy with solar and wind energy is more contrasting than oil and gas, depending on the weather and other factors. This means that it is not always easy to intensify the power supply up or down in response to a varying pregnancy. The expected loads allow for better planning and providing, making the implementation of a type of smoothing mechanism of special importance.

However, he notices me, this is not the healing medicine. Super capacitors “have a place. They will not replace the batteries everywhere. But these events are short -term [like AI power bursts]This is an ideal application for super condensions. “