Nvidia Launches Battery Storage Qualification Program for AI Data Centres

Nvidia has introduced a dedicated energy storage certification scheme for its AI infrastructure buildout, selecting three vendors in the programme’s opening phase. Known as DSX Ready, the programme certifies products that meet category-specific qualification requirements for AI factory infrastructure.

The first certification tier focuses on battery energy storage and liquid cooling systems. Three suppliers qualified: Hitachi Energy with a 5 MW / 10 MWh system, LG Energy Solution’s Vertech JF2 at comparable specifications, and Tesla’s Megapack 2XL rated at 1.93 MW and 3.85 MWh.

Rather than mirroring grid operator requirements, DSX Ready establishes its own parallel technical standards. Nvidia’s battery criteria centre on power conversion behaviour: dynamic response to active and reactive power, current limiting, islanding capability and black-start function. Vendors must supply raw test data alongside documentation confirming compliance with industry cybersecurity and fire safety standards.

The programme does not substitute for site-specific engineering. Transformers, switchgear and generators fall outside its scope, and qualification assumes that relevant industry certifications are already in place.

Marco Berardi, head of grid solutions at Hitachi Energy, noted that as AI factories scale, customers require energy systems “that can be quickly deployed, integrated and expanded while maintaining reliability.”

Analysts observe that the scheme reflects a broader shift in priorities: the emphasis on power conversion behaviour and seamless integration into AI campuses matters more here than the provenance of battery cells — a departure from how utility-scale storage qualifications have traditionally been structured.

Source: PV Magazine USA