Researchers from North Carolina State University's FREEDM Systems Center completed what they describe as the first test of a megawatt-rated solid-state transformer on a live grid, at a research substation in Lenox, Massachusetts, with funding from the New York Power Authority. Unlike conventional transformers, solid-state transformers use silicon carbide transistors switching at high frequency to actively shape and route power, enabling smaller footprints, fewer conversion stages, and the ability to output either alternating or direct current. The technology, initially patented in 1968 but rarely deployed at scale, has attracted renewed interest from data center developers; NCSU spin-off DG Matrix, based in Raleigh, North Carolina, says it has already been selling the technology to data centers. Demand pressure is growing: NERC's most recent long-term assessment projects summer peak demand rising 224 gigawatts over the next decade, with data centers accounting for most of the increase.
Conventional high-voltage transformers face lead times stretching to years amid surging grid demand, making alternatives such as solid-state transformers increasingly relevant for data center developers trying to secure power quickly. A commercially viable solid-state transformer would allow data centers to consolidate multiple conversion stages, reduce copper usage, and accept power at a wider range of voltages, potentially accelerating deployment timelines and improving energy efficiency at facilities being built at gigawatt scale.
A Blackstone power development story from Private Equity Professional signals significant capital deployment in data center energy infrastructure by one of the sector's largest investors, making it highly newsworthy for the Market category.