Every data center build must efficiently manage the transition between utility-supplied voltage and the power requirements of its IT equipment. Transformers and switchboards are key infrastructures, stepping voltage down and distributing power where it needs to go.
Historically, transformers and switchboards were two separate purchases, often from different vendors. That approach requires operators to juggle two separate lead times, engineering documents, and equipment integration on site.
Our innovative solution to this problem is the Giga Power. The Giga Power Skid module consists of a 3.75 MVA,24.9kV-415-240V transformer paired via a 5000A busway with a 5,000A low-voltage switchboard on a single skid, handling all the MV-to-LV conversion and distribution for the loads it serves.
In this post, we'll cover what's on the power skid, how it moves power to your racks, and the advantages of factory integration versus building it on-site.
What our power skid replaces in atraditional build
In a traditional data center build, transformers and switchboards are specified separately and procured from different manufacturers. They’re delivered separately and field-connected by electricians on site. This approach carries a few risks when it comes to the project schedule:
- Transformer lead time: Transformers carry some of the longest lead times in the industry. Procurement of these standalone units can add months or even quarters to the project schedule, depending on the selected vendor.
- Switchboard lead time: Switchboards of this scale typically carry roughly a 60-week lead time, presenting a significant risk to the project schedule.
- On-site integration: When transformers and switchboards are engineered by separate manufacturers, equipment compatibility and on-site integration can introduce significant project risks. Coordinating testing, commissioning, and interfaces between multiple suppliers can add complexity, cost, and schedule uncertainty. Pre-engineered, factory-integrated, tested, and commissioned solutions address these challenges before equipment reaches the jobsite, which simplifies installation, reduces integration risk, and improves project predictability.
- Warranty challenges: Sourcing transformers and switchboards separately can create fragmented warranty responsibility among multiple parties (the equipment manufacturers and the contractor responsible for field assembly and interconnection). When issues arise, it can be challenging to determine who is responsible. Worse, physical interface and field-fit modifications may fall between warranty boundaries. An integrated package eliminates these challenges by giving you a single point of responsibility.
Giga was born from its founders’ firsthand experience with these challenges. Their frustration with waiting on outside vendors for the critical infrastructure needed to power their sites gave them a clear mission; rethinking how powerinfrastructure is engineered, delivered, and integrated.
Giga Power Skid brings this same problem-solving mindset to the critical challenges facing data center operators today. If the seam between two products is where projects tend to break, then stop shipping two separate products.
In the sections ahead, we'll cover what's on the Giga Power Skid, how power flows through it, and how installation looks.
What is on the Giga Power Skid and how does it work?
The first element on the Power Skid is a3-phase pad-mounted transformer: 24,900V delta primary, 415Y/240V WYE secondary, oil-filled (FR3) with ONAN cooling. Its job is stepping down medium voltage from the utility side and converting it to the low voltage your racks will utilize.
The second piece is a UL 891-listed, 415/240V,5000A, NEMA 3R, switchboard. The Giga Power Skid’s switchboards are rated for 100kASCCR, built with dead-front construction and 100% rated, tin-plated copper busbars, the unit houses multiple circuit breakers listed for UL -489, -1066including but not limited to a 5000A ABB SACE Emax main circuit breaker, a 5000AABB SACE Emax emergency circuit breaker communicating with the main CB via a built-in Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS) Controller, and distribution circuit breakers.
The two parts connect through a sidewall throat, close-coupled at the factory, eliminating any exposed field cabling between them. There is no field-built interface or integration gap, because the whole unit is engineered and integrated in our factories.
How can Giga help?
If long-lead power equipment is holding your project timeline hostage, the best solution is a modular data center build and an infrastructure partnerthat designs, engineers, and manufactures every piece of the puzzle.
Get in touch with the Giga team to talk through what a GigaBase deployment could look like for your project.
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