ABB HiPerGuard 34.5 kV adds a 34.5 kV option to ABB’s medium-voltage UPS portfolio, targeting AI data centers that want to connect directly to the grid without an intermediate voltage conversion stage. The idea is straightforward: fewer conversion steps can reduce losses and simplify the electrical one-line, especially as facilities push into 100 MW-class power blocks.
ABB describes HiPerGuard as a microgrid-ready UPS architecture designed to integrate battery energy storage with other on-site and off-site sources, including renewables, gas generation, and the utility grid. ABB also says its Power Exchanger technology enables battery management and grid support functions, including peak shaving and frequency regulation.
On efficiency, ABB lists HiPerGuard at 98% and argues that avoiding voltage conversion at the point of grid interconnect reduces conversion losses and infrastructure complexity. ABB values the impact of efficiency gains at about $880,000 per year for every 1% efficiency improvement in a 100 MW AI data center. The company also says the 34.5 kV approach reduces copper cabling requirements, and that the architecture can deliver 20–25% less footprint with fewer devices and cabling runs.
Direct medium-voltage grid connection is a big architectural claim, because it pulls the UPS conversation closer to the utility interface and substation design decisions. If ABB’s topology fits a given interconnect, it could shift where operators place isolation, protection, and conversion equipment, and how they plan modular growth. But as always, the on-paper efficiency and footprint benefits only matter if the system integrates cleanly with the site’s protection scheme, commissioning plan, and operating model.
ABB says the system supports incremental expansion through parallel configurations up to 25 MW, and that its plug-and-play converter design is intended to help operators adapt and integrate new technologies as requirements change. ABB also says HiPerGuard was recognized by UL Solutions as the first product of its kind to achieve UL 9540 certification, and that the broader HiPerGuard portfolio is IEC and UL certified with voltage levels ranging from 4.16 kV to 34.5 kV.
HiPerGuard 34.5 kV will be available to order in summer 2026. ABB also says the HiPerGuard installed base is growing across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, including deployments at Applied Digital’s 400 MW and 300 MW AI data center campuses in North Dakota.
Source: ABB
