California · MIT Technology Review
How solid-state transformers could help power the AI boom
Compiled by KHAO Editorial — aggregated from 1 source. See llms.txt for citation guidance.
◌ Single Source
The devices help efficiently move power across long distances, but they’re complicated and in short supply.
Key facts
- In February, Heron Power raised $140 million to commercialize its solid-state transformer, which the company calls the Heron Link
- In recent years, companies that make grid equipment have put $1.7 billion into the US supply chain for power transformers, which are used in high-voltage transmission, says Benjamin Boucher, a supply
- Heron Power is currently building a $100 million factory in California to make advanced transformers
- The prototype was roughly 98% efficient—meaning it lost only 2% of the energy fed
Summary
Transformers are a crucial but nearly invisible part of their grid. As the world races to meet rising electricity demand from EVs, data centers, and more, researchers and companies are looking to modernize transformers. Conventional transformers generally rely on huge amounts of specialized steel alloys and miles of copper wire to do their work of transferring electricity between circuits. These devices are still in development, and can’t replace all traditional transformers today, especially the largest ones that work at the high voltages necessary for long-distance transmission. Moving electricity through the grid isn’t perfectly efficient: As electricity flows through power lines, some gets lost as heat.