UL Solutions has introduced a new certification pathway for prefabricated power distribution assemblies used in modular data centers, and Schneider Electric has become the first company to earn certification under the new program.
As AI drives unprecedented demand for data centers, the industry is increasingly shifting away from building electrical infrastructure piece by piece on-site and toward manufacturing complete power systems in factories, then deploying them as standardized modules. UL Solutions' new certification pathway is meant to help manufacturers and operators scale data center construction more quickly and with greater confidence, letting manufacturers build on certified designs, speed up deployment, improve consistency, and maintain ongoing third-party oversight as hyperscale operators and their suppliers expand capacity.
The growth of AI, cloud computing, and digital services is driving unprecedented demand for new data center compute capacity. To keep pace, hyperscale operators and their suppliers are increasingly turning to modular, factory-built power infrastructure that can be assembled, tested, and delivered more efficiently than traditional on-site construction.
Jennifer Scanlon, president and CEO of UL Solutions, said demand for AI and cloud infrastructure is accelerating adoption of more streamlined, modular construction across the data center industry. She said this certification pathway helps manufacturers, hyperscalers, and developers gain confidence that integrated power systems have been independently evaluated for safety, while supporting the speed and scalability needed to bring new capacity online.
Schneider Electric earned the first certification under UL 2140, the Outline of Investigation for Prefabricated Power Distribution Assemblies, a new framework that evaluates integrated power assemblies, commonly known as open power skids, which combine switchboards, uninterruptible power supplies, batteries, and related electrical equipment onto a single skid before it's delivered to a project site.
The certification process evaluates the complete factory-built assembly and its interconnected components for compliance with applicable U.S. National Electrical Code requirements and UL safety standards for equipment. Through follow-up services conducted at the manufacturing location, UL Solutions checks whether certified products continue to be produced according to the requirements established during the original certification, an approach meant to support consistent production as suppliers scale up to meet growing demand for data center infrastructure.
Schneider Electric's prefabricated power assemblies are built in a controlled factory environment, where major equipment is installed, secured, and interconnected before being shipped to the job site. By moving more of this work off-site, manufacturers can reduce the complexity of field installation and deliver standardized solutions suited to large-scale projects.
Manish Kumar, executive vice president of Secure Power & Data Centers at Schneider Electric, said prefabricated power modules are positioned to become a defining part of data center construction in the AI era, since they significantly reduce deployment complexity and risk while increasing speed. He said this industry-first recognition from UL Solutions validates the safety of Schneider Electric's Power Skids, while giving data center developers and operators greater confidence as they deploy the standardized, factory-built power solutions needed to accelerate time to power.
