Enable precise testing of data center power systems under realistic AI workload conditions, facilitating infrastructure reliability for next-generation computing demands.
As artificial intelligence (AI) workloads become increasingly central to modern computing, data center operators face a critical challenge: understanding how their power infrastructure behaves under highly dynamic AI-driven loads. Without testing, operators risk performance degradation, unplanned downtime, and costly overengineering.
Recognizing this need, Vertiv developed the AI Load Simulator, a patented innovation designed to replicate the electrical behavior of AI workloads, specifically the fast-switching, irregular power patterns of graphics processing unit (GPU) clusters during training and inference cycles. The first of its kind, this innovation enables testing of uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems and the full power train under realistic AI conditions.
Replicating real-world AI load behavior
The AI Load Simulator allows engineers to create both predefined and fully configurable load profiles, reproducing typical AI power patterns. It can integrate actual load curves provided by GPU manufacturers, including those from our partners, delivering real testing conditions for mission-critical infrastructure.
Figure 1. The Vertiv™ AI Load Simulator replicates the electrical behavior of variable AI loads, enabling engineering teams to test UPS systems and full power train under AI-driven conditions.
The simulator is capable of two simulation modes:
- Version 1: Supports two-step load profiles and application-specific curves.
- Version 2: Extends functionality to three-step profiles, enabling more granular and complex test scenarios.
The system is designed for flexible deployment, supporting tests from a single rack to full-scale infrastructure, with both AC and DC configurations. Data and insights can be critical to designing facilities, R&D teams, and applied to real-world deployments for tailoring customer-specific requirements and architectures. To read more on the performance test and results conducted, read about it here.
Advanced monitoring and analytics
Beyond load replication, the AI Load Simulator provides sophisticated monitoring and analytics capabilities. Real-time insights and detailed reports show how infrastructure responds to sudden, fluctuating power demands. These insights can help:
- Optimize power architecture design
- Support research and development (R&D) efforts
- Tailor customer-specific demonstrations
By providing visibility into system behavior under AI workloads, the simulator allows proactive stress testing and fine-tuning to align with real-world operational conditions.
Flexible firmware and load management
Figure 2. Vertiv™ PowerUPS 9000 paired with the AI Load Simulator for advanced power testing.
The simulator also leverages advanced UPS firmware features to provide multiple test configurations:
- Battery-free load steps: Reduce battery use while handling sudden AI load changes.
- Power smoothing: Use batteries to moderate and even out the strain of rapid load changes from the grid and generators.
These firmware-based capabilities allow engineers to adapt to specific customer scenarios while managing system components effectively. With AI power loads continually changing the patterns observed from electrical demand in AI data centers—from a constant pattern to rapidly variable ones—anticipating and designing for the applicable scenarios actively informs facility designers and operators to support power protection and quality for every case. These insights derived from the simulator enable resilient design that manage available AC and DC sources to handle the pulsing load profiles of high-performance computing applications.
Vertiv continues to develop firmware enhancements that optimize performance and battery protection during demanding conditions. Future updates to the simulator’s features include capabilities to target more complex AI load profiles that temporarily exceed 100% of nominal load, reducing battery stress and supporting a wider range of AI scenarios.
Field-proven resilience and performance
Figure 3. The Vertiv Global Power Customer Experience Center, located in Bologna, offers suite of validation tests of optimal power performance and reliability.
Vertiv’s Global Power Customer Experience Centers offer a comprehensive suite of validation assessments designed to test and confirm optimal power performance and reliability. These include:
- Demo tests, which demonstrate the performance of new Vertiv™ UPS products and power train components
- Standard tests, which verify the technical performance of UPS, remote power panel (RPP), static transfer switch (STS), and battery systems in compliance with industry procedures
- Customized sessions, which are tailored to meet specific customer requirements through dedicated testing protocols.
Complementing these options, the innovative AI Load Simulator—first deployed at the Vertiv™ Global Power Customer Experience Center in Bologna—is now being extended globally and made available for on-site testing. Customers can evaluate their complete power train, from UPS to distribution systems, directly within their own facilities.
Using the simulator with our own UPS portfolio, tests have confirmed that Vertiv™ Large Power UPS systems (including Vertiv™ Trinergy™, Vertiv™ PowerUPS 9000, and Vertiv™ EXL S1) can handle highly dynamic AI load steps from 0% to 100% of rated capacity without hitting the batteries, provided the utility source remains within nominal parameters. This demonstrates the reliability of Vertiv™ UPS designs and their suitability for AI workloads, characterized by rapid and frequent load fluctuations. Field validation at sites such as EdgeConneX has confirmed these capabilities under real AI load conditions.
Watch the latest interview of Phillip Marangella, EdgeConneX, and Kyle Keeper, Vertiv, on AI and the future of data centers.
Innovating forward
The AI Load Simulator represents a significant advancement in data center infrastructure validation, offering data center operators a reliable way to test and optimize their power systems for AI workloads—from design to deployment. Through its sophisticated simulation capabilities, advanced monitoring features, and flexible firmware management, the solution has proven its effectiveness in both factory-controlled and real-world environments. This innovation allows data center operators to confidently support the growing demands of AI computing while maintaining optimal performance and reliability, positioning Vertiv and its customers at the forefront of AI-ready infrastructure solutions.
