Eaton and Microsoft Expand Partnership on UPS Digital Technology
Intelligent power management company, Eaton, has announced a new expansion of its collaboration with Microsoft which is aimed at accelerating the adoption and application of Eaton’s EnergyAware uninterruptible power system (UPS) technology across various industries and sectors globally.
Through close collaboration over several years, Eaton and Microsoft have added digital capabilities to the UPS which allows it to be used as a distributed energy resource (DER) to support grids with high levels of variable renewable energy generation, making it a grid-interactive UPS.
“A grid-interactive UPS helps decarbonize energy at grid level which means that its sustainability benefit extends beyond the data center. This changes the game in terms of energy management within the data center’s overall environmental impact profile,” said Craig McDonnell, senior vice-president and general manager of the Energy Transition and Digital division at Eaton.
Based on this partnership, Eaton’s proprietary EnergyAware UPS technology will be included in Microsoft projects, and forms part of a new framework agreement between both parties that is designed to address major industry development needs including digital transformation, sustainability and energy transition.
This expansion is also expected to foster a new generation of ‘grid-interactive’ data centers, including those operated by Microsoft, to support grid operators with the provision of critical flexibility services as well as enable data centers to monetize underutilized assets.
“A grid-interactive data center is one where its extensive electrical system functions not only to protect customer IT data and applications but also to provide valuable electrical services back to the transmission system operator and the grid. These auxiliary services will be increasingly critical to help grids cope with high levels of variable renewable energy,” said Sean James, Director of Data Center Research, Microsoft.
This announcement follows another recent partnership between beIN Media Group, and Microsoft to transform the media sector and reinvent the broadcast experience through cloud solutions ahead of the FIFA 2022 world cup.