Segment
Data-centre power: from the substation to the chip
The scarce input in data-centre construction is no longer capital or land. It is a firm electricity connection of the right size, in the right place, at the right time — and the queue for one is now measured in years in most of the markets operators want to build in.
In one sentence
Data-centre power covers everything between the transmission network and the server: the utility interconnection, on-site generation, the distribution and conversion chain inside the building, and the backup systems that carry the load when supply fails.
A large AI campus draws power comparable to a small city, continuously, at a high and very steady load factor. Utilities are used to planning for peaks a few hours a year; this is a load that runs flat at near its maximum every hour of every day, which is a different planning problem and one that often requires new transmission rather than only new generation.
Inside the fence, the chain from the incoming line to the chip is a sequence of transformations, each losing a little energy and each needing equipment that is currently on long lead times. Transformers, switchgear, uninterruptible supplies and distribution units have all appeared on shortage lists, and several of them now have delivery times comparable to the construction schedule itself.
The result is that power has become the organising constraint of the whole industry. Site selection follows available capacity, construction schedules follow equipment deliveries, and the phrase 'we have the chips' has stopped being the same statement as 'we can deploy them'.
How this breaks down
Split by where the power comes from and what happens to it on the way to the rack.
- Prime power equipmentWhat actually produces the power when the grid cannot, and why the order books are full.Breaks down into: Gas turbines · Reciprocating engines · Fuel cells3 pages belowChokepoint
- Grid interconnectionHow a large load gets connected, why it takes years, and what operators do about it.Definition pageChokepoint
- On-site generationGas turbines, fuel cells and contracted nuclear — what operators do when the grid cannot deliver in time.Definition pageChokepoint
- Distribution and backupSwitchgear, uninterruptible supplies, busways and the shift toward higher-voltage rack distribution.Breaks down into: Uninterruptible supplies · Standby generation · Busway and rack distribution3 pages belowChokepoint
- Efficiency and metricsThe metrics used to judge a facility, and why the industry's favourite one is running out of room.Definition page
What this depends on
3 of these are marked as a chokepoint: a handful of qualified suppliers, a multi-year lead time, or a single geography.
- Supply chainChokepoint
Transmission capacity and transformers
Connecting a large load often requires network reinforcement, and the equipment for it has multi-year lead times.
Transformers - Supply chainChokepoint
Generation capacity
A flat, continuous load requires firm supply; where the grid cannot provide it, generation has to be contracted or built.
Energy and grid - Supply chainChokepoint
High-voltage cable
The run between the switching station and the site substation is cable, made in continuous lengths by a small number of plants already committed to transmission work.
High-voltage cable
What depends on this
Other pages in this map that name Power as something they cannot do without.
Companies across Power
Every company named on a step below this page, ordered by how many of those steps it appears at. Compiled from the pages themselves rather than written separately, so the two cannot disagree. Not a ranking and not a recommendation.
- Schneider ElectricFrance4 steps
Distribution and backup · Uninterruptible supplies · Busway and rack distribution · Efficiency and metrics
- ABBSwitzerland3 steps
Distribution and backup · Uninterruptible supplies · Busway and rack distribution
- Delta ElectronicsTaiwan2 steps
38 more companies appear at a single step each; they are named on the pages for those steps.
How these pages are written
Each page explains one technology in plain language, states what it depends on, and names companies by what they supply at that step. Company roles are described qualitatively and deliberately carry no market shares, revenue figures or rankings — those change faster than an explainer can, and a stale number is worse than none. Ticker links point at company pages on this site and are provided for reference only.
Nothing here is investment advice, a recommendation, or a forecast. A company named on a page about a technology is not thereby a good investment, and the chokepoints described are structural facts about supply chains rather than predictions about prices. Technology moves; where a page describes something as unresolved or in development, that was true when it was written.
Plutux is not an investment adviser. Market data and AI-generated analysis are for information and education only, not investment advice. Disclaimer