How solid-state transformers could help power the AI boom

MIT Technology Review explains how solid-state transformers built with silicon carbide semiconductors could ease equipment shortages driven by data center and EV electricity demand. A 1 MW prototype tested by NYPA and EPRI reached about 98% efficiency versus 96% for a conventional transformer and rectifier, at roughly one-tenth the size.

• A 1 MW prototype was tested by NYPA and EPRI under realistic grid conditions
• Efficiency reached about 98%, versus 96% for a conventional transformer plus rectifier
• The device is roughly one-tenth the size at the same capacity
• The technology cannot yet replace the largest high-voltage transformers