Overview
- An Azure blog post detailed Microsoft’s evaluation of superconducting power delivery to raise electrical capacity at the same voltage and shrink the physical footprint of cabling and transmission gear.
- VEIR, a Microsoft-backed supplier, completed a three‑megawatt demonstration powering a simulated server rack and reported roughly 10x reductions in cable size and weight versus conventional alternatives.
- Reuters reported that recent tests indicate superconducting lines can deliver the same power as traditional cables while occupying less space, which Microsoft says could support higher rack densities.
- Microsoft and partners highlighted hurdles including liquid‑nitrogen cooling, rare‑earth barium copper oxide tape supply constraints, manufacturing scale, and overall system costs.
- The company says HTS remains in testing and validation for cloud‑scale use, with potential community benefits such as smaller rights‑of‑way (about 2 meters versus ~70 meters for overhead lines) and prior use limited to niches like MRIs and short urban links in Paris and Chicago.