A quantitative comparison and evaluation of 48V DC and 380V DC distribution systems for datacenters

Studies have shown that for a datacenter DC power distribution system has higher efficiency and reliability than a traditional AC power distribution system. DC distribution system has two voltage standards, 48V and 380V. Most of the studies show that 380V DC distribution is more promising than the 48V DC distribution. This paper presents a quantitative comparison and evaluation for both the 48V DC and 380V DC distribution systems in terms of overall efficiency, system reliability, and overall cost. The 380V DC system has higher system efficiency and cost more, while the 48V DC system has higher system reliability. Based on this study, a new DC system architecture, which combines the advantages of both the systems, is introduced.