NVIDIA Sets New AIDC Energy Storage Standards, Leading Enterprises Forge Ahead While SMEs Face Elimination.

Foresees Energy has learned that NVIDIA recently unveiled its 'Self-Certification Guide for Energy Storage Systems,' outlining 10 stringent benchmarks and 12 rigorous real-world tests and simulations, with measurement precision set at ±0.2% for both voltage and current. A company traditionally known for graphics cards is now setting the entry bar for the energy storage sector.

The initial reaction from many is likely to be: 'You don't manufacture energy storage equipment, so why are you setting the standards?'

Yet, in reality, NVIDIA is not only redefining computing power but also revolutionizing how data centers consume electricity.

From the introduction of the 800V HVDC architecture in the GB200 in 2025 to the power consumption of the Vera Rubin NVL72 nearing 225kW per single cabinet in 2026, in the era of Agentic AI, thousands of GPUs within an AIDC can escalate their power consumption from 10% to 100% in milliseconds. For a 100MW AIDC, this translates to an instantaneous surge in grid load by tens of thousands of kilowatts. Traditional UPS and diesel generators simply cannot keep pace. With energy storage now integrated into the top-tier design of AI data centers, and a chip company setting the certification benchmarks, the industry is both exhilarated and apprehensive.

Certification Boundary Set at AC Side, Focusing on PCS, Not Batteries

What sets NVIDIA's guide apart is its exclusive focus on the PCS (Power Conversion System). Battery capacity? Irrelevant. DC-side topology? Not a concern. Type of battery cells used? Also not a factor. The certification boundary is firmly set at the AC side, with PCS being the sole subject of evaluation.

Among the 10 stringent benchmarks, 'AI Buffer Dynamic Response' mandates that the system avoids oscillation or control 'chasing' during rapid power conversion. 'Telemetry and Control' requires all nodes to be polled at a 1-second frequency, supporting three concurrent Modbus TCP (industrial Ethernet communication protocol) connections. 'Control Transparency' demands the provision of an EMT (Electromagnetic Transient) model and impedance/admittance scan verification, adhering to NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation) reliability guidelines. All 12 hardware real-world tests and simulations must be completed before certification submission. Beyond technical thresholds, manufacturers must also submit their PCS delivery volume over the past 12 months, along with an executable plan for a 10-fold production expansion within 24 months.

NVIDIA stated in its technical blog that BESS (Battery Energy Storage System) is an 'intelligent, controllable power asset,' not a passive energy storage warehouse. The complexity of BESS in AIDC facilities far exceeds mere capacity assessment—it is a control system deeply intertwined with the grid, necessitating full-stack hardware and software collaborative design, rather than a 'define capacity first, then allocate control' approach. Hardware accumulation cannot resolve control issues; rapid telemetry, real-time analysis, and coordinated control architecture are the keys to design. No matter how vast the battery capacity, if the control logic is inadequate, certification will be denied.

This signifies that the traditional competition dimensions of capacity and cost, which the energy storage industry has focused on in recent years, are no longer valid under this standard.

Game Rules Altered, Early Adopters Already Ahead

In early June, Siemens officially released an AI factory reference electrical and power architecture design for the NVIDIA DSX Vera Rubin NVL72 platform, with Fluence's SmartStack battery energy storage system included as the sole explicitly designated battery energy storage partner in the reference design. The capital market responded with a 43.8% surge on the same day. This reference design boasts a total facility capacity of 136MW, including 100MW of IT load, with Fluence's SmartStack energy storage system configured at 120MW/240MWh.

However, Fluence's position is less a result of technical bidding success and more a pre-emption of industrial chain influence, as Fluence is a joint venture between Siemens and American Electric Power Company AES. Being included in the parent company's official reference design is essentially an 'ecological niche inheritance.' Other independent energy storage companies will find it challenging to replicate this structural advantage.

Following NVIDIA's guide release, the path has become clearer but also significantly narrower. The market is substantial, but competition is fierce. CLSA estimates that AIDC construction in China will drive an additional 125GWh of energy storage battery demand over the next five years. Guosheng Securities projects that AIDC energy storage in the U.S. alone will drive 10GWh, 27GWh, and 39GWh of incremental demand from 2026 to 2028. Morgan Stanley predicts that by 2030, AI data centers will generate 321GWh of annual new energy storage demand.

Some are already leading the charge. In February this year, Nanjing Guanlong Power secured a bid for a backup power project at an NVIDIA data center in Asia, replacing diesel generators with two 1MW grid-forming energy storage power conversion systems for seamless zero-delay backup power during outages. Forte Energy signed an agreement to establish a solid-state transformer production base for AIDC scenarios in Xinbei District, Changzhou, over the next three years. Its 'Xihe 2.0' directly converts 10kV medium voltage to 800V DC, achieving 98.6% system efficiency and occupying only one-third the volume of traditional UPS. According to East Money, Sungrow had secured over 11GWh of AIDC energy storage orders by the first half of 2026. Trina Storage witnessed over 300% year-on-year growth in energy storage in the first quarter of 2026, with overseas business accounting for over 90%. Far East Smarter Energy Group secured orders totaling 737 million yuan in April related to intelligent battery energy storage and AI computing power.

However, all these projects commenced before the certification standards were officially implemented. After the standards are in place, new entrants will have to navigate the entire process anew under the new rules.

Threshold Set—Who Can Cross It, and Who Cannot?

The most ruthless aspect of the certification guide lies in its final pages. Manufacturers must submit their PCS delivery volume over the past 12 months, along with an executable plan for a 10-fold production expansion within 24 months. These two requirements effectively bar smaller firms from even applying—they cannot gather the certification materials, let alone provide delivery records and expansion commitments.

AIDC power supply energy storage systems entail multi-dimensional testing in electrical safety, thermal runaway protection, and cybersecurity. The certification cycle, financial costs, and technical rectification difficulties far surpass those of ordinary industrial and commercial energy storage. A complete AIDC integrated energy solution is not a single-device certification but a combined verification of energy storage batteries, power conversion systems, power distribution equipment, and monitoring systems. It requires simultaneous completion of dozens of standard tests, including UL1973 energy storage cell safety, UL9540A cabinet-level thermal runaway propagation, and IEC62443 industrial network protection. The entire process typically spans 12 to 24 months, with detection, rectification, and certification service fees accumulating to several million yuan.

The price war in the energy storage industry has escalated from 'cent'-level to 'fraction-of-a-cent'-level competition. NVIDIA's guide draws a new starting line—those with insufficient control capabilities do not even qualify to participate. Xu Yanming, a deputy to the National People's Congress, pointed out at the 2026 Two Sessions that AIDC requires energy storage systems to possess instantaneous high-current output capabilities and millisecond-level response speeds, but existing energy storage products still struggle to fully meet the high dynamic load demands in terms of rate performance, dynamic response, and long-term operational stability.

NVIDIA is not attempting to usurp the role of energy storage associations; it is drafting blueprints for its own facilities. Whoever defines computing power demands has the right to define power supply standards. The door is open, but whether one can cross it hinges on the speed of their PCS control algorithms, the strength of their delivery records, and the credibility of their expansion plans. No amount of battery accumulation can resolve this issue.