The program helps manufacturers demonstrate the safety of key equipment designed to deliver power more efficiently to AI computing systems.
AI systems require large amounts of electricity, increasing the need for more efficient ways to power data center equipment.
The new program provides manufacturers with a clear path to certify equipment that converts and distributes high levels of electrical power.
UL Certification helps manufacturers demonstrate that this emerging technology meets defined safety requirements before it is used in data centers.
NORTHBROOK, Ill., September 24, 2026--(BUSINESS WIRE)--UL Solutions Inc. (NYSE: ULS), a global leader in applied safety science, today announced a new certification program for medium-voltage solid-state power units, an emerging technology that can deliver electricity more directly and efficiently to the data center systems powering AI.
AI requires enormous computing capacity, and that computing capacity requires electricity. Before electricity reaches a data center's servers and advanced chipsets, it may be converted several times into different currents and voltage levels. Each conversion can result in some energy loss, which can add up across the entire power architecture.
Medium-voltage solid-state power units are designed to simplify that journey. These power-electronic systems convert medium-voltage alternating current (AC) from the electric grid directly into the lower-voltage direct current (DC) used by data center systems. By reducing the number of AC-to-DC conversion steps, the technology can simplify data center power systems.
"AI is changing how data centers are designed and powered," said Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO of UL Solutions. "Manufacturers need a clear safety certification path for these key innovations as they develop the technology supporting that change. Our program provides an independent framework that helps them build safety into their products from the start."
Sometimes called medium-voltage solid-state transformers, these units perform a function similar to conventional transformers but use power electronics to convert and lower the voltage. As AI computing drives unprecedented power demands, solid-state transformers are helping redefine data center electrical infrastructure by enabling direct medium-voltage-to-800 VDC conversion, reducing system complexity, and improving the efficiency and reliability of power delivery. The UL Solutions program provides manufacturers with a defined process to demonstrate that this emerging equipment meets safety requirements.