Microsoft tests superconductors to shrink data centers and tackle AI power demands

Microsoft Turns to High-Temperature Superconductors for Data Centers

Microsoft is exploring advanced power lines using high-temperature superconductors (HTS) to redesign its data centers, a move that could fundamentally change how the company builds infrastructure to support artificial intelligence workloads 1

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. The technology allows electricity to flow with zero resistance, eliminating energy losses and heat generation that plague conventional copper and aluminum cables 2

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. As AI power demands surge and grid capacity challenges mount, superconductors offer a path to increase power density without expanding physical infrastructure.

Zero-Resistance Cables Deliver 10x Space Reduction

Recent tests funded by Microsoft demonstrate the dramatic efficiency gains possible with superconducting technology. Massachusetts-based company VEIR completed a demonstration showing that HTS cables at a data center could deliver the same amount of power with approximately a 10x reduction in cable dimension and weight compared to conventional alternatives 1

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. The company closed a $75 million Series B funding round last year and recently tested its three-megawatt cable to power a server rack in a simulated data center 3

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. Husam Alissa, director of systems technology at Microsoft, explained that the technology helps scale power density without expanding the physical footprint, while also reducing the size of power transmission infrastructure and lowering community impact 3

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AI Growth Drives Superconductor Economics

The massive electricity requirements of artificial intelligence are making superconductor technology economically viable at scale. U.S. government research indicates that data centers may consume about 12 percent of U.S. power supplies by 2028, a tripling from four years earlier 3

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. Single data center campuses being built today require more than one gigawatt of electricity at a single location, enough to power approximately 750,000 homes 3

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. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has acknowledged that the company has idle AI GPUs in its inventory because it lacks sufficient electricity to install them all 2

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Cryogenic Cooling and Manufacturing Challenges

While HTS cables offer compelling advantages, they require cryogenic cooling to maintain superconductivity. High-temperature superconductors need temperatures around -200 degrees Celsius or less than -320 degrees Fahrenheit, typically achieved using liquid nitrogen 2

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. The HTS tape that forms the basis of superconducting cables is made with rare-earth barium copper oxide material, with supply chains largely concentrated in China 1

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. However, increased manufacturing capacity driven by fusion research has started to lower costs, making the technology more accessible for data center applications 1

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Power Infrastructure Beyond the Data Center

Microsoft envisions using superconductors not only inside data centers but also for long-distance power transmission. While overhead transmission lines typically spread across areas around 70 meters in width, superconducting cables might only need 2 meters of clearance 1

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. This dramatic reduction could accelerate the approval process for building power infrastructure across multiple jurisdictions, addressing one of the biggest bottlenecks in grid expansion. The approach aligns with Microsoft's "Community-First AI Infrastructure" framework, which promises to ensure data centers don't increase local electricity prices 2

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. As tech companies face mounting pressure to address energy efficiency and pay their own way for power consumption, superconducting technology represents a strategy to build more capacity while minimizing grid strain and community disruption.