Cummins Power Generation has been selected to supply battery energy storage systems (BESS) for a large US data center project, targeting utility-defined requirements tied to AI-driven load behavior, including managing load fluctuations, mitigating load oscillations, and improving ride-through performance.

The company didn’t name the data center developer, site, or project size. Cummins described it as its largest BESS deployment to date, and positioned the system as an additional layer in the project’s power architecture to help stabilize the load profile at the utility interconnection point.

The BESS is designed to rapidly charge or discharge to reduce demand spikes, improve power quality, and maintain a more stable load profile where the facility connects to the grid. For data center operators dealing with fast step loads from AI infrastructure, that kind of buffering can matter as much for interconnection compliance as it does for on-site resilience.

Cummins BESS specs cited for data center use

For data center and AI campus applications, Cummins outlined a utility-scale BESS with a 5 MWh nominal capacity, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery chemistry, and liquid-cooling thermal management. The company also highlighted a “flexible DC block architecture” intended to be compatible with multiple power conversion system (PCS) and energy management system (EMS) ecosystems, plus “bridge-to-grid” readiness and integration with diesel and natural gas generators.

On standards and safety, Cummins listed UL 9540A, UL 9540, UL 1973, NFPA 855, NFPA 68, IEEE 1547, and UL 1741 SA/SB compliance targets for the solution.

Cummins said its BESS solutions were launched in May 2025, and framed storage as a tool for developers facing grid constraints, longer interconnection queues, and increasing energy costs. That’s a practical lens: in data center design, storage can be pulled into service not just for backup strategies, but also to shape how a site presents load to the utility during volatile demand conditions.

“The future of data center growth depends on finding smarter, faster ways to deploy and manage power. BESS is quickly becoming a critical part of the modern data center power strategy,” said Jenny Bush, president of Cummins’ Power Systems business.

Source: Cummins