Vertiv 360AI High Density Reference Design #006: 2x 1.28 MW NVIDIA Blackwell DGX SuperPODs

Overview

This three-page datasheet (2025) describes a complete 2.56 MW hall built from two 1.28 MW SuperPODs. Total IT load is 2 x 1,280 kW = 2,560 kW. The room holds 32 compute racks at 73 kW, 16 network/storage racks at 14 kW and 4 cabling racks, 52 in all. Heat splits about 78/22 between direct-to-chip liquid and perimeter air, which is 992 kW liquid and 288 kW air per pod.

On the power side it uses a four-to-make-three (distributed redundant, 4N/3) block: 4 IT UPS of 1,200 kVA serve both pods, so three of the four installed modules carry the load. Cooling is N+1 and the cooling equipment (CDUs and CRAHs) has its own 240 kVA 2N UPS. The distribution chain is dual utility and generator feeds, two 4,000 A main switchboards, four 600 kVA PDUs per pod, 400 A overhead busways (8 per pod) and, in the rack, six OCP DC power shelves of 33 kVA each.

The design rests on Vertiv's six principles: co-design power and cooling, align clusters to capacity blocks, weigh TCO against redundancy and blast radius, buffer workload surges, plan hybrid liquid/air, and design for future density. The document expects AI rack density to grow toward 500 kW per rack. It is a vendor datasheet; its values are indicative and should be recomputed.

Key points

1. Total IT load 2,560 kW = 2 pods x 1,280 kW.
2. 32 racks at 73 kW + 16 racks at 14 kW + 4 cabling racks (52 racks).
3. Per pod 992 kW liquid (78%) / 288 kW air (22%).
4. Power is 4-to-make-3 (4 x 1,200 kVA IT UPS for 2 pods); cooling is N+1.
5. Cooling UPS is 240 kVA, 2N, feeding both CDUs and CRAHs.
6. Busways 400 A (8 per pod), tap-off boxes 60 A (2 per rack per busway); 6 x 33 kVA OCP DC power shelves per rack.
7. CDU rated 1,350 kW (one per half-pod, 4 total); perimeter CRAH in the 150 kW class.
8. Vertiv expects AI rack density to grow toward 500 kW per rack.

Using it in design

• Seed an AI-hall wizard template with: compute rack 73 kW, support rack 14 kW, liquid fraction 0.78, power 4N/3, cooling N+1, mechanical UPS 2N.
• Make it a rule that when liquid fraction is above zero, CDUs and pumps sit on UPS; flag designs that put CDUs on generator only.
• Use the 4-to-make-3 block to show how 3 x 1,200 kVA of usable capacity comes from 4 installed modules, each loaded to at most 75% normally.

Who should read it

Electrical and mechanical engineers designing AI halls in the 1-3 MW range.

Related standards

• Uptime Tier Standard: Topology
• TIA-942
• EN 50600-2-2
• OCP Open Rack V3
• ASHRAE TC9.9 Liquid Cooling Guidelines

Publication details

Authors

Vertiv

Publisher

Vertiv

Year

2025

Document number

AI Reference Design #006

Document language

English

Source type

Manufacturer

Access

Free to read

Licence

Copyright retained; citation only — the publisher’s terms apply to the original document

Citation