BEP RESEARCH / TOOLSARCHITECTURE EXPLORER · SEPTEMBER 2026
Power architecture explorer

Same rack.
A different path to power.

Trace an AC turbine path beside Bloom’s proposed native-DC design. See which boxes disappear, which functions move, and what the data center still needs.

AC powerDC powerLoss mechanism

Swipe the diagram to follow the power. The equipment buttons below provide the same details.

Two paths from natural gas to an 800V DC AI rack Exploded illustrative comparison. An AC turbine feeds transformer, medium-voltage protection and AC-to-DC conversion, with storage connected as a branch. Bloom fuel cells feed a DC-DC regulator with integrated ultracapacitors. Both retain DC distribution, protection and rack conversion. Bloom's proposed architecture is based on its report and BEP interview; no turbine cost or efficiency comparison was supplied. 01 / ONSITE TURBINE AC generation, then conversion to 800V DC ILLUSTRATIVE ARCHITECTURE Equipment and scale vary by site GAS Turbine + generator Natural gas → AC Transformer Set the AC voltage AC switchgear Protect + isolate AC → DC Conversion to 800V DC distribution Protection + busways AI rack DC → lower voltages Battery system Load smoothing branch THE EXTRA CHAIN More interfaces to buy, install, protect and maintain. A solid-state transformer can combine transformation and AC-to-DC conversion. It is an alternative topology. 02 / BLOOM-NATIVE DC DC generation, with regulation close to the source PROPOSED DESIGN / BLOOM’S ACCOUNT GAS Fuel-cell modules Natural gas → DC DC → DC Regulate the DC bus DC distribution Protection + busways AI rack DC → lower voltages 800V DC FEED AC conversion chain bypassed Ultracapacitors Integrated load support WHAT CHANGES Fewer upstream stages. Conversion and protection remain. SAME DESTINATION DC distribution and rack conversion stay. In-hall energy buffers stay in both designs. COMMON EQUIPMENT
Select equipment to explore its job and the evidence.Flow shows direction. Pulse speed and brightness do not represent measured performance.
Conversion remains

DC-to-DC regulation

What it does

Where losses occur

Evidence + open question

The architectural argument

Integration changes what gets installed.

Bloom’s claim is that supplying DC near the racks can bypass much of the upstream AC equipment. Its DC-to-DC regulator and ultracapacitors are separated visually here to explain their roles within an integrated system.

Power electronics, digital controls and modular equipment change the architecture. Conductors, protection, thermal management and rack conversion remain physical necessities.

What would prove it

A production site, and a fair comparison.

  • A named customer operating Bloom-native DC into production AI racks.
  • A matched turbine design with comparable reliability, load and power prices.
  • Disclosed loss, storage, backup and maintenance assumptions.
From equipment to investment research

Which savings survive the power contract?

BEP Research examines power prices, equipment costs and the evidence behind the companies building AI infrastructure. The architecture is the starting point; the economics determine what it means for investors.

Explore BEP membership →

Sources, assumptions and what this diagram does not claim

This explorer accompanies BEP Research’s work on AI power infrastructure. It is an explanatory architecture comparison, not a site engineering design, electrical safety guide, bill of materials or investment recommendation.