South Korean firms LS Electric and LG Uplus have begun developing direct-current-based power infrastructure optimized for AI data center environments.

The companies signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to jointly develop AI data center power infrastructure and strengthen competitiveness. The initial focus of the partnership will be Nvidia’s Vera Rubin platform.

Under the terms of the deal, the firms will seek to demonstrate and standardize 800V DC power infrastructure designed for Nvidia’s Vera Rubin environment. The Nvidia infrastructure delivers power directly to server racks via a high-voltage direct current system, significantly reducing power loss and enabling optimization of conversion equipment and cabling.

LG Uplus will provide power data accumulated through actual data center operations and support a proof-of-concept environment to verify the solutions. Based on the data accrued, LS will develop DC power solutions optimized for AI data centers and provide power data analysis and diagnostic solutions.

Nvidia announced its 800V DC architecture in October of last year. As part of the announcement, 20 companies partnered with Nvidia to develop the necessary infrastructure to support the new power architecture.

CoreWeave, Lambda, Nebius, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and Together AI are among the companies designing for 800-volt data centers. Nvidia noted that Foxconn’s 40MW Kaohsiung-1 data center in Taiwan is also using 800VDC.

The agreement is LS Electric's second this month regarding DC power infrastructure. The company partnered with German semiconductor manufacturer Infineon to collaborate on technologies to enhance energy efficiency, system performance, and scalability in next-generation power infrastructure.

LG Uplus is a South Korean mobile network operator owned by LG Corporation and is the second-largest wireless carrier in South Korea.