Eaton's 2-MW solid-state transformer clears UL tests

Eaton's 15-kV, 2-MW solid-state transformer became, "to our knowledge," the first multi-megawatt unit to pass all tests under a new UL Solutions standard for the technology, CEO Paulo Ruiz said Tuesday. Utility Dive reported the remarks.

Data centers built on the 800-volt DC architecture could cut non-IT capital expenditure by up to 18%, according to a McKinsey analysis cited by Utility Dive.

Solid-state transformers use magnets and semiconductors instead of specialized steel alloys and large amounts of copper wiring, making them more compact and efficient than the low- and medium-voltage transformers they would replace. Eaton paid $86 million in August 2025 for Resilient Power Systems, a developer of the technology. A 1-MW solid-state transformer tested earlier this year by the Electric Power Research Institute, the New York Power Authority and North Carolina State University under what the report described as real-world conditions halved power losses against a traditional transformer configuration.

For an allocator underwriting a data-center development, the 18% is a planning number with a date attached. It applies to non-IT capital costs, so it moves the plant budget, not the servers: switchgear, breakers, transformers and the cooling that sits alongside them. The saving only reaches a model once equipment specified for 800V DC is available on the build schedule. Ruiz said the timing is not Eaton's to set. That leaves the electrical architecture as an assumption to test in diligence.

Ruiz said announced data-center projects worldwide amount to 366 GW, against 50 GW of installed capacity. He said he sees no letup in demand from data centers and utilities. Eaton, headquartered in Ireland and described by Utility Dive as one of the largest suppliers in the U.S. market, reported record third-quarter sales of $8.9 billion, up 28% year over year. Modular designs are compressing build schedules: as Private Wealth Daily previously reported, Nvidia says its DSX POD cuts data center build to 14 days, with 17 partners due to deliver the units worldwide in early 2027.

Solid-state transformers are one of several "key building blocks" an 800-volt DC design needs, Ruiz said, alongside DC breakers, power quality equipment and advanced cooling. "The AC architectures are not bad, and we are fine either way," he said. "We win in either path."

The UL result settles one component of the design. Whether developers commit to 800-volt DC depends on the rest of that equipment set reaching the same readiness.