What it is
Southland Industries principal electrical engineer Michael Starego presented a technical and economic comparison of powering a 6 MW data center using traditional AC infrastructure versus FMP infrastructure during a May 2024 webinar. The parts-and-labor analysis concluded FMP can result in multiple-millions of dollars in savings for operators.
Why it matters
Owner-operators and MEP design teams planning new data centers now have a concrete cost comparison at scale (6 MW) from a PE-stamped source (Southland Industries). The multi-million dollar savings claim, backed by parts-and-labor breakdowns, directly affects capital budgeting and infrastructure design decisions for new builds and expansions in power-constrained facilities.
Evidence from source:
- Starego delivered an analysis of powering a 6-megawatt data center using traditional AC versus using FMP with parts-and-labor summary concluding multi-million dollar savings.
- Presentation delivered by Southland Industries’ principal electrical engineer Michael Starego, PE, LEED AP, during May 2, 2024 webinar.
- Analysis occupies ~20 minutes of hour-long technical webinar; includes practical implementation graphic for FMP in data center environment.
Links
- Canonical source: https://www.datacenterfrontier.com/energy/article/55040181/ict-engineering-experts-compare-new-class-4-fault-managed-power-vs-ac-power-infrastructure-for-data-centers
- Player: /players/voltserver/
- Topic: /topics/estimating/
- Topic: /topics/pathways-install/
Open questions
- What specific line-item categories (UPS, conduit, switchgear, labor hours) drive the multi-million dollar savings difference?
- Does the analysis account for upstream utility service sizing and any AHJ approval timelines for FMP versus traditional AC?