Digital Edge partners Donghwa ES to develop innovative energy storage technology for data center redundancy

• Both firms partnered to develop a future-proof alternative to traditional batteries
• Developed solutions for enhanced data center safety, environmental sustainability

Digital Edge (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd., one of Asia’s fastest-growing data center platforms, has partnered with Donghwa ES, a South Korea-based developer of next-generation power solutions for hyperscale facilities, to develop a next-generation energy storage system that sets new standards for data center redundancy and sustainability. In a statement, the company said the Hybrid Super Capacitor (HSC) Energy Storage System presents a viable alternative to traditional batteries and has the potential to revolutionise data center ancillary power generation for future AI and hyperscale workloads.

Today, the data center industry relies on lithium-ion batteries or lead-acid batteries for backup generators and Uninterruptible Power Supplies, the vital equipment that enables operators to maintain uptime in the event of a power failure to the grid. However, as demand for higher power density deployments increases, fueled by the rapid rise of AI and cloud providers, the data center industry is facing increased pressure to improve energy efficiency and reduce the sector’s carbon footprint.

In the search for more reliable and sustainable energy storage, both companies have partnered to develop a future-proof alternative to traditional batteries, leveraging Digital Edge’s data center operations experience together with Donghwa’s energy storage system engineering and design expertise. Together, the two companies have developed the HSC Energy Storage System technology; initial testing has proved successful and Digital Edge has confirmed it plans to deploy this technology within certain new-build data centers.

The HSC technology uses a hybrid energy storage method that combines activated carbon, from an electric double-layer capacitor, with carbon from a lithium-ion battery to produce a solution that reduces the deterioration of the negative electrode in comparison to other technologies. This enables the HSC to operate for a longer lifespan, with the estimated replacement cycle at more than 15 years, or nearly 2.5 times longer than other battery products, resulting in a significant benefit to the Total Cost of Ownership.

Crucially, the HSC is designed to withstand much higher temperatures than traditional batteries of up to 65°C, meaning the equipment does not need to be cooled and can thereby help operators to achieve energy savings. This makes the HSC well-placed to support energy-intensive AI and high power density deployments which require complex liquid cooling, as well as support broader sustainability efforts across the data center industry to incrementally increase operating temperatures and reduce carbon emissions.

The HSC can also be recharged more quickly, in a matter of minutes, enabling it to efficiently handle multiple contiguous power outages within a data center. In addition, it does not utilize metal oxide, meaning the risk of fire due to thermal runaway is fundamentally eliminated, thereby significantly reducing potential fire hazards.

Jay Park, chief construction and development officer, Digital Edge said, “At Digital Edge, we seek to be more than simply a data center operator, but to be a leader that continues to innovate and set new standards that will elevate the entire industry. Redundancy is critical to our customers, so we set out to explore ways to enhance the technology that currently underpins this.” “Partnering with Donghwa, we are proud to have developed the HSC Energy Storage System, which we hope will serve to enhance the safety and reliability of the data center industry, while also supporting our environmental commitments,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ji-Won Suh, CEO, Donghwa ES said, “Donghwa ES designs and manufactures next-generation energy storage systems and power solutions for hyperscale data centers. With the rapid advancement of AI, power-intensive data centers are growing rapidly. We have a vision to provide complete safety from incidents that can occur due to thermal runaway in the increasingly power-intensive data center industry.” “Through our partnership with Digital Edge, we hope to provide a new energy storage system standard for the global data center industry. In particular, we plan to make joint efforts to deploy energy storage systems to hyperscale data centers in the Asia-Pacific region, which is experiencing the highest growth in the world,” he commented.