The rapidly growing demand for data storage and AI-driven applications is driving an urgent need for greater energy efficiency in data center operations. Currently, data centers account for approximately 0.4% of total U.S. electricity consumption, but this figure is projected to rise dramatically to between 6.7% and 12% by 2028 as storage, data processing and AI workloads expand.
"Achieving the highest standard of operations for data centers is critical as energy demand quickly grows and we are proud that the 80 PLUS Ruby certification is setting the example of what optimal data center energy efficiency can look like worldwide," said Divakar Jandhyala, CLEAResult’s Chief Product & Technology Officer.
To address this challenge, the 80 PLUS Ruby certification introduces the most rigorous PSU efficiency standard in 14 years, requiring 90%+ efficiency across the entire power delivery system. This new standard provides the industry with a pathway toward higher energy efficiency, ensuring data centers can meet the evolving demands of cloud storage, commercial institutions and the growing strain on the grid caused by AI-driven computing.
Atthapon Sermkarndee, Senior Qualification Engineering Manager with Delta Electronics Thailand added, "We achieved three certifications and see the value in 80 PLUS Ruby certifications. It adds a level of trust in efficacy that the whole industry can rely on."
As part of CLEAResult's Testing and Certification program, 80 PLUS badges certify products that have undergone rigorous testing and meet or surpass the program's established energy efficiency criteria. The 80 PLUS Ruby certification recognizes global data center standards for PSUs that achieve 96.5% efficiency at 230V, 277V, 480V AC-DC and 380V DC at 50% load, and 90% or greater at 5%, 10%, 20%, 50% and 100% of rated wattage.
80 PLUS also addresses light loading – when servers operate at low power levels relative to their maximum capacity – by introducing a 5% load efficiency requirement of 90% in data centers for standards and regulations adoption. This ensures power supply units maintain high efficiency, even when servers operate in redundant configurations or are unintentionally over-sized for their applications, reducing unnecessary energy waste and improving overall operational efficiency.
As data center operators face growing energy demands, regulatory requirements from Energy Star, the European Union’s (EU) Energy-related Products (ErP) directive and United for Efficiency (U4E) are also expanding. The 80 PLUS Ruby certification represents a future efficiency roadmap for standard and regulatory adoption.
