Podcast4Engineers

AI data centers are driving power demands to levels that are forcing engineers to rethink how electricity is distributed and protected. In this episode of Podcast4Engineers, Peter Balint talks with Infineon distinguished engineer Leo Aichriedler about the shift from traditional AC systems toward high-voltage DC distribution and the role of solid-state circuit breakers. They explore why semiconductor-based breakers can isolate faults up to 1,000 times faster, how higher voltages and increasingly complex power grids affect protection systems, and why speed, reliability, selectivity and power density matter. The conversation also looks ahead to commercialization, standardization and the rapidly evolving role of solid-state protection as AI data centers accelerate the adoption of DC power.

In this episode of Podcast4Engineers, host Peter Balint speaks with Nancy Wang, Director of Application Marketing for UPS at Infineon, about why backup power is becoming a critical enabler of AI infrastructure. They explore how AI data centers are driving new approaches to uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), distributed battery backup, high-voltage DC architectures, and layered energy storage to meet increasingly dynamic power demands. The discussion also looks ahead to how future data centers will evolve from passive energy consumers into active participants in the power grid, making intelligent power management just as important as computing performance.

In this episode of Podcast4Engineers, host Peter Balint speaks with Valerio Zerillo about the growing role of Solid-State Transformers (SSTs) in powering AI-driven data centers. The discussion explores how traditional low-frequency transformers are reaching their limits due to increasing power demands, space constraints, and scalability challenges. Valerio explains how SSTs leverage advanced power semiconductors, silicon carbide, gallium nitride technologies, and intelligent control systems to deliver higher efficiency, flexibility, and reduced footprint. The episode also looks ahead to the future of power infrastructure, including medium-voltage DC grids and the integration of renewable energy sources to support next-generation AI and high-power applications.

In this episode of Podcast4Engineers' "We Power AI" series, host Kelsey Markl sits down with Dr. Diogo Varajao, Head of Power Supply and Battery Backup Systems Group at Infineon, to explore how power supply design is rapidly evolving to keep pace with the soaring energy demands of AI infrastructure. The conversation dives deep into the dramatic rise in GPU and server rack power consumption, from under 1 kilowatt per GPU just a few years ago to projections exceeding 600 kilowatts per rack in the near future, and what that means for data center architecture. Diogo walks through the generational shift in rack design, as well as novel energy buffer concepts, advanced PFC topologies, and the strategic use of WBG technologies to maximize efficiency and help hyperscalers drive down their Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE).

In this episode, host Kelsey Markl welcomes Head of Systems at Infineon’s Green Industrial Power Division Mehrdad Baghaie Yazdi back to the show, where they discuss the massive power demands of gigawatt-scale AI data centers and the necessary shift toward efficient DC grid architectures. They explore how solid-state transformers and advanced semiconductors are replacing traditional infrastructure to reduce energy losses and improve grid resilience.