Simplergy#12 Is it time for the UPS to reincarnate?
Exploring the rise of battery backup units, distributed architectures, and Google’s next-gen approach for hyperscaler data centers
When I was 10, I remember being mesmerized by the mysterious beep…beep sound of a little black box sitting next to my HP desktop pc. It always kicked in right when the power went out, keeping my computer alive just long enough for me to save my paint files. I didn’t know it then, but that box - a UPS - would eventually become a key part of my professional life.
Fast forward a couple decades, and that childhood curiosity has turned into a front-row seat to one of the most overlooked transformations in digital infrastructure: the reinvention of the uninterruptible power supply.
What kind of UPS do modern data centers need?
Today’s data centers are not your 2000s server closets. They’re mission-critical, power-hungry, and scaling like wildfire. As a result, the old-school, centralized UPS is starting to show its age. Here’s what next-gen data centers demand:
Scalability to match rapid growth
Efficiency to minimize energy waste and cost
Resilience against everything from micro-outages to prolonged blackouts
This is where modern architecture steps in. Companies like Google1 (and other big techs) are ditching the centralized UPS model in favor of distributed battery backup units (BBUs) small, rack-level systems that offer precision, redundancy, and flexibility at scale.
Wait, are BBUs and UPS the same thing?
Not quite. The terms often get used interchangeably, but there’s a difference worth understanding.
UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply): An electrical device with complete power backup and protection system that includes inverter (AC/DC conversion), rectifier, and battery provide surge suppression, voltage regulation, power conditioning, and near-instantaneous switch-over.
BBU (Battery Backup Unit): An electrical device with a simpler solution that provides emergency backup power, often without the advanced conditioning or protection features of a full UPS.
Think of these electrical devices as:
Every UPS is a battery backup, but not every battery backup is a UPS
Switch from lead acid to newer chemistry for battery
Lead-Acid BBUs: Cost-effective and reliable, but heavy and less energy-dense
Lithium-ion BBUs: Lighter, longer-lasting, ideal for high-density deployments
Nickel-Cadmium & Others: Used in specialized or legacy environments
Power Range2: From a few watts for home routers to multi-megawatt systems for hyperscale data centers.
Why BBUs are about to blow up (In a good way)
Four key trends are fueling massive growth in the BBU market:
Data center growth: Cloud, AI, and edge computing demand ultra-reliable uptime
Renewable energy adoption: Intermittent supply needs smooth, responsive backup
Grid instability: Outages and brownouts are becoming the new normal
Tech innovation: New chemistries are making BBUs cheaper, smaller, and smarter
Who’s powering the shift?
A few giants are leading the charge in next-gen backup systems for data centers:
Eaton
Vertiv
Schneider Electric
ABB
Huawei
These companies are rethinking everything from small BBUs for edge devices to full-scale distributed power architectures for cloud-scale deployments.
Opportunities beyond the Data Center
BBUs aren’t just for hyperscalers. Here’s where else they’re gaining traction:
Modernizing legacy UPS infrastructure in data centers
Microgrids and renewables integration in remote or unstable grids
Industrial and commercial sites needing uninterrupted operations
Smart homes and IoT backup for security systems, routers, and essential devices
Final Thoughts: The rebirth of UPS
The UPS isn’t obsolete - it’s evolving.
As data centers continue to scale and as grid reliability becomes less of a guarantee, a new generation of modular, intelligent, and distributed backup systems is rising to the challenge.
Whether you’re managing a hyperscale cloud, a hospital network, or just trying to keep your control center alive during a blackout there’s never been a better time to rethink what backup power should look like.
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https://datacentrereview.com/2024/08/how-to-size-a-ups-for-a-modern-data-centre/