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Data Center Power Management Solutions

Data centers play a critical role in our data-driven society. As the hub of the internet, they provide the infrastructure and services that enable businesses and individuals to communicate, store and access data. Data centers require significant amounts of power to operate, and so require components that can deliver high performance and reliability.  

Mission-Critical Power Fuels Data Center Growth


With the exponential growth of The Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and 5G wireless communications that require ever-greater data speeds and bandwidth, data centers are facing constant increases in demand. To provide a future-proof service, data center architecture needs to be flexible and the power supply infrastructure must grow in parallel.

As more processors are being packed into server racks, delivering power to meet the increasing needs of the data center requires greater power density than ever before. Power supplies and their connectors must be able to deliver more power per inch of rack space.

Modern high-speed processors depend on a flow of power free from surges and spikes that might be caused by external interference. This is provided by Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) systems that provide the clean power that servers require. They also provide a short-term emergency supply in the event of power outages.

All this equipment generates a large amount of heat that is detrimental to the efficient performance of the data center. This is especially important in data centers as high temperatures have a detrimental impact on the signal integrity that is so important to high-speed communications. Therefore, considerable attention must be devoted to thermal management, including everything from creating an efficient design that ensures the clean flow of cooling air to supplying power for cooling systems. 

Connectors that are destined for data center applications must be designed to provide the greatest efficiency. Energy lost to electrical resistance not only increases operating costs but also contributes to an increased thermal load. Molex brings expertise in the field of high-power connectors, enabling you to achieve the best possible performance for your data center application.


Power Management Applications

ORV3 Rack and Power Infrastructure

In close collaboration with industry leaders, Molex has developed ORV3 connectivity solutions for power distribution that balance spatial, thermal and power efficiency requirements with flexibility to scale up as capacity grows. 

Rack and Power Solutions for OCP ORV3


PowerPlane OCP ORV3 Power Shelf Cable Assemblies

500A+, HPR 700A+ or HPR2 1250A+ per circuit

  • Mates with OCP ORV3 Busbar
  • Supports 48.0V architectures
  • Compliant with ORV3 power output specifications 
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PowerPlane OCP ORV3 IT Gear Cable Assemblies

100A+ or HPR 220A+ per circuit

  • Mates with OCP ORV3 Busbar 
  • Supports 48.0V architectures 
  • Compliant with ORV3 IT Gear power input specifications 

Custom Busbar Solutions

OCP ORV3 48V

  • Mates with PowerPlane OCP ORV3 Power Shelf Cable Assemblies 500A+ 
  • Supports 48.0V architectures 
  • Compliant with ORV3 power output specifications

Power Solutions for Servers


UltraWize High-Current Power Connectors and Cable Assemblies

Superior Power Distribution

  • Large conductive surface area enabled by COEUR Socket Technology
  • Cable-side exit configuration minimizes stack height

SW1 Power Cable Assemblies

Power Efficiency with High-Current-Carrying Capacity

  • Locking pins attach to the printed circuit board (PCB) or busbars
  • Positive locking with 360° cable assembly rotation

Sentrality Pin and Socket Interconnects

High-Voltage, High-Current Interconnect System

  • Board-attach options for PCBs and busbars
  • Co-planar, offset-planar and reverse-planar mating configurations
  • +/- 1.00mm self-aligning feature on socket assemblies

Power Solutions for Battery Backup Units and Power Supply Units


EXTreme LPHPower Connectors

Mixed High-Current and Signal Connector System

  • Supports up to 30.0A per blade
  • Low-profile height of only 7.50mm
  • Uses 53% less space than traditional connectors with the same current rating

EXTreme Ten60 Power Connectors

Highly Configurable Power and Signal Connector System

  • Supports up to 60.0A per blade
  • +/-1.80mm gather-ability for X and Y directions when used in blind-mate applications
  • Select from high-density-signal modules for 10 to 40 signals or use the signal modules side-by-side to get up to 120 signals

EXTreme EnergetiC High-Current Connectors

Unique Solutions for High-Power Applications

  • Supports up to 100.0A per blade
  • Handles up to 60% more current per blade bay than other products on the market 
  • Modular dovetail construction enables maximum configurability 

EXTreme Guardian HD Power Connectors

Superior Current Density

  • Supports up to 130.0A per blade  
  • High-temperature tolerant up to 125°C 
  • Configurable hybrid power and signal solutions

SW1 Power Cable Assemblies

Power Efficiency with High-Current-Carrying Capacity

  • Locking pins attach to PCB or busbars
  • Positive locking with 360° cable assembly rotation

Sentrality Pin and Socket Interconnects

High-Voltage, High-Current Interconnect System

  • Board-attach options for PCBs and busbars
  • Co-planar, offset-planar and reverse-planar mating configurations
  • +/- 1.00mm self-aligning feature on socket assemblies

PowerPlane Busbar Connectors

High-Current Performance for Power Distribution Applications

  • Allows up to +/- 1.00mm of misalignment, facilitating blind mating in deep racks
  • Mates with 3.00 and 3.18mm thick busbar tabs
  •  40% more points of contact than competitors

Data Center Evolution: ORV3 Immersion Cooling Insights 

Immersion cooling effectively addresses the growing thermal and power demands of modern data centers. Molex research tackles challenges like material compatibility, thermal stability, and system design, delivering insights and solutions that enhance power distribution and operational efficiency for next-generation data centers.

Uninterruptible Power: The Key to Mission-Critical Continuity in Data Centers

Power demands in data centers are rising due to the integration of advanced technologies like AI and machine learning — and ensuring constant uptime is crucial to avoid costly downtimes. Tree-phase online double conversion UPSs, with high efficiency, reliability, and seamless power transition, are ideally suited for today's modern data centers. Molex's 80+ years of expertise in interconnect products can help UPS manufacturers build power solutions for the data centers of today and beyond. 

PowerPlane Busbar Connectors: Enhancing Data Center Efficiency and Adaptability

As data centers evolve to address increasing power and performance demands, power distribution architectures need to be more flexible and efficient. Busbars help data centers to quickly deploy power upgrades, since there’s no need to manage the installation of additional cables and components. Molex PowerPlane Busbar Power Connectors support this enhanced efficiency, delivering +/- 1.00mm alignment to help ensure accurate mating and prevent potential damage. Multiple, independent points of contact support design flexibility, while the float-mount design adjusts to accommodate blind mating in hard-to-reach areas. Optional sense contacts on both sides enable hot-swapping of controllers for system protection — and the optional integrated chassis ground contacts make separate, secondary ground connections unnecessary.

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Avoiding the Paradox of Power System Design

Today’s system architects and design engineers are being forced to stretch the limits of physics. The need for more power is colliding with the simultaneous needs for smaller, lighter, more connected and more cost-effective devices and systems. Learn how the engineering community is overcoming the challenges of power integrity and thermal management while preparing for the high bandwidth applications of tomorrow. 

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Engineering Survey Explores the State of Power

Engineers across every market application need to enable enhanced efficiency and connectivity in a world that relies on instant data exchange. This translates into an ever-escalating demand for power. In our recent Molex survey, engineers explore the innovations that will likely have the greatest impact on power system performance. Learn how these professionals address power requirements during the product development process — and see how companies are responding to an increased need for power-related expertise.

power for data center