AI is increasing data-center electricity demand and concentrating more power in server racks, making efficient conversion, heat removal and reliable delivery central design challenges. Gallium nitride (GaN) can help with particular power-conversion stages, but it is one part of a chain that also uses silicon and silicon carbide (SiC)—not a substitute for grid capacity, cooling, backup power or sound facility design.
Why AI is changing data-center power requirements
Electricity demand is rising, but forecasts are not fixed
The International Energy Agency’s 2025 Energy and AI analysis estimated that data centers worldwide used about 415 TWh of electricity in 2024, roughly 1.5% of global electricity use. Its 2030 base-case projection was about 945 TWh. The IEA attributed much of the expected growth to accelerated servers, with AI adoption a major driver. (Energy demand from AI — Energy and AI, IEA, 2025.)
A later IEA outlook gives a different starting point and projection: its 2026 central projection puts data-center consumption at 485 TWh in 2025 and 950 TWh in 2030, while electricity use by AI-focused data centers is projected to triple over that period. These are estimates from different report years, with different reference years and outlooks—not two measurements of the same period. Forecasts depend on factors such as AI uptake, efficiency improvements and infrastructure constraints, so neither projection should be read as a guaranteed outcome. (Key Questions on Energy and AI — Executive summary, IEA, 2026.)
Rack-level concentration makes delivery and heat as important as totals
Facility-wide electricity use is only part of the design problem. AI accelerators can concentrate substantial demand within server racks. Power must reach those systems through conversion stages while remaining within electrical, thermal and reliability limits. Higher power density can reduce the space occupied by power equipment, but it also makes heat removal, protection, maintenance access and dependable operation important design considerations.
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Where GaN fits in the power chain
From incoming power to processor voltage
A data-center power supply unit (PSU) converts incoming alternating-current (AC) power to direct current (DC) for servers and racks. Additional stages then convert that power to the voltages required by server boards and processors. The broader chain can also include grid interfaces, battery backup, intermediate bus conversion, power protection and voltage regulation at the processor.
GaN is a wide-bandgap semiconductor used in power switches and power integrated circuits. Its fast switching can support high-frequency conversion designs, which may help make particular stages compact and efficient. That does not mean every stage should use GaN, or that a GaN component alone determines a facility’s total energy use. Infineon describes silicon, SiC and GaN as complementary options across the power path; the appropriate material depends on the stage, voltage, topology, thermal requirements, cost and overall system design. The available vendor material does not establish a universal ranking of the three.
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Higher-voltage architectures are an application, not a universal deployment claim
Power Integrations presents its 1250 V and 1700 V PowiGaN technologies in the context of next-generation data-center designs and a shift toward 800 V DC distribution. This is a vendor application claim. It does not establish that 800 V DC is already universal across data centers, or that one semiconductor technology determines whether an architecture is adopted.
What published PSU figures do—and do not—show
Vendor reference designs illustrate the kinds of power and efficiency targets under development. Their reported figures describe specific designs or announcements; they are not independent, fleet-wide measurements. In particular, the two examples below were not tested under matched conditions and should not be used to rank vendors.
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| Source and example | Reported output | Reported efficiency or density | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infineon, 8 kW PSU reference design | 8 kW | 97.5% peak efficiency; 100 W/in³ power density | Infineon-reported specifications for this reference design, not a measured average across deployed data centers. |
| Navitas Semiconductor, 2024 announcement | 8.5 kW | 98% efficiency | A company-reported claim for its announced GaN/SiC-powered PSU; not an apples-to-apples comparison with Infineon’s separate design. |
Peak efficiency is not the same as efficiency across a real operating profile. Actual facility savings depend on how equipment is loaded and used, as well as cooling, redundant capacity, upstream conversion and other parts of the site. Power density likewise describes how much power equipment can provide relative to its volume; it does not by itself establish lower total energy consumption or easier thermal management.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to assess a GaN design in context
Compare the same stage and operating conditions
A meaningful comparison starts with designs serving the same conversion stage and voltage range. A material label by itself is not enough to tell whether one design is more efficient or suitable for a given rack or facility. Useful evidence includes:
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- Rated output and efficiency across the load levels the equipment is expected to serve, rather than peak efficiency alone.
- Thermal behavior and cooling requirements at the intended power density.
- Topology, voltage level, electrical protection and reliability provisions.
- Serviceability and how the design fits with backup, redundancy and the rest of the power path.
- Total system cost, not just the semiconductor or PSU specification.
The cited vendor materials do not provide an independent controlled comparison of silicon, SiC and GaN under equivalent data-center workloads. Their reference designs can show what a supplier has designed and claims for a particular implementation, but they cannot settle a general material-versus-material question.
Account for the whole facility
Reducing conversion losses can help, but it cannot create additional grid capacity or remove the need to cool servers and power equipment. A power design has to work with the facility’s incoming supply, thermal system, backup strategy and operating profile. A compact conversion stage may ease space constraints while increasing the importance of heat removal, protection and service access.
Why gallium supply belongs in the discussion
Electrical performance is not the only consideration in choosing a power technology. In its 2026 AI and energy security — Energy and AI analysis, the IEA estimates that data-center demand for gallium could reach around 10% of current gallium supply by 2030, and reports that China accounts for 95% of gallium refining. Those figures point to a potential supply-chain exposure for procurement and resilience planning; they do not establish that a shortage will occur or that GaN adoption is infeasible.
For data-center designers, the practical question is therefore not whether GaN replaces every other semiconductor. It is whether a particular GaN-based conversion stage offers benefits under the required electrical and thermal conditions, and whether the full system—including supply resilience—can support it.
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