DATA CENTER UPS INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

The global data center UPS market size was valued at USD 4.8 billion in 2020, growing at a CAGR of 5% during 2021-2026 to reach USD 6 billion.

The global market is witnessing high procurement of lithium-ion-based battery systems. Data center operators are increasingly adopting these batteries to prevent losses suffered due to VRLA battery failures and increase overall power efficiency. Lithium-ion batteries have emerged as an effective alternative to VRLA batteries among vendors, thereby aiding the market's growth.UPS systems' penetrations are growing due to an increase in centralized operations and the need for row/rack-level power backup, driving operators to install efficient systems and batteries. Moreover, the application of lithium-ion batteries reduces space and lowers OPEX as they require low maintenance. The demand to prevent battery failures is boosting operators to shift to lithium-ion solutions in the market. However, the popularity of other battery technologies, such as nickel-zinc and Prussian Blue Sodium-ion, could pose a challenge to lithium-ion UPS battery systems' growth during the forecast period.

SNIPPETS

• The adoption of UPS systems with a minimum redundancy of N+1 is high across data centers worldwide, with the procurement of >1,000 kVA systems identified among colocation data centers.
• Lithium-ion batteries are likely to grow at the fastest CAGR during the forecast period due to the low efficiency and high OPEX of VRLA batteries.
• <=500 kVA systems are expected to observe high adoption in prefabricated facilities, hyperscale data center operators, and emerging edge data center deployment.
• The data center UPS market share of lithium-ion systems is likely to grow around 35% by 2026, with a high contribution from Nickel-Zinc and Sodium-ion batteries in the next 2–3 years.
• The US UPS market is likely to reach over $2.8 million by 2026 driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and significant announcements of about 30 data center projects from hyperscale service providers such as Facebook and Google.

DATA CENTER UPS MARKET SEGMENTATION

This research report includes a detailed segmentation by:

1. UPS Types (VRLA Systems, Flywheel Systems, Lithium-ion Systems)
2. UPS Systems Capacity (<=500 kVA, 500-1,000 kVA, and >1,000 kVA)
3. Tier Standards 
4. Geography 

INSIGHTS BY UPS TYPE

VRLA batteries are likely to account for the highest data center UPS market share during the forecast period; however, they can register negative growth. These batteries are responsible for multiple outages in the market. To prevent system failures during grid outages, they require constant maintenance and service checks, which increase the OPEX for operators. Data center operators are seeking efficiency and reduced TCO in operating UPS systems. They are increasingly procuring UPS systems with lithium-ion batteries, which will enable them to decrease the OPEX. Hence, the increased adoption of lithium-ion, Nickel-zinc, and Prussian Blue batteries is projected to decrease the market share of VRLA batteries during the forecast period.

The procurement of lithium-ion batteries is growing in the US and Europe. The total cost of ownership (TCO) for lithium-ion batteries is 17% less than VRLA batteries. Lithium-ion batteries offer a higher lifespan of around 15 years than VRLA batteries. The systems with lithium-ion batteries offer significantly higher density. They occupy less space than traditional batteries. Moreover, reduced installation space, less weight, faster-charging cycle, high-capacity support and service life, low OPEX, limited carbon emissions, and reduced maintenance have led to the exponential growth of lithium-ion systems in the market over the past two years.

INSIGHTS BY UPS SYSTEMS

The growth of <=500 kVA UPS systems is expected to be higher among prefabricated operators than traditional brick-and-mortar facilities. Small- and medium-sized data centers with a power density of less than 1 MW are adopting data center market has witnessed increased adoption of systems with a capacity of over 1,000kVA among hyperscale facilities. Data centers offering support to HPC resources are likely to adopt rack-level UPS systems. Colocation service providers are the major adopters of high-capacity UPS systems deployed at row/room levels.

INSIGHTS BY TIER STANDARDS

Many new data centers are designed to be of Tier III standards with a minimum of N+1 redundancy and can be reconfigured with up to 2N+1 redundancy as and when the need arises, along with the incorporation of flexible data center designs. A high number of under-developed projects across the globe fall under the Tier III category. There are over 320 data center projects that fall under the Tier III category. This trend is likely to continue during the forecast period. Several operators expected to shift to the Tier IV category due to the growth in rack power densities and critical data center applications. UPS systems' investments among Tier IV data center facilities are expected to reach over $9 billion in 2026. These data centers are equipped with minimum 2N+1 redundancy in infrastructure that makes them fault-tolerant, with a few having 2N+2 redundancy in a few critical infrastructures such as UPS systems.

INSIGHTS BY GEOGRAPHY

In 2020, over 130 data center projects were announced in the US. Colocation service providers developed around 75% of them, and the remaining were enterprise data centers. The market is witnessing the increased development of self-built hyperscale data center facilities. Facebook, Google, and Microsoft are rapidly expanding their presence in the US to develop additional data centers. The market is witnessing an increase in the procurement of lithium-ion UPS systems among data centers. For instance, NTT Global Data Centers has installed lithium-ion with five minutes of battery backup in its Hillsboro, Oregon data center. Also, Nickel-Zinc and Prussian Sodium-ion UPS systems' commercial deployment is likely to gain increased traction in the market.

The APAC region witnessed over 110 data center projects in 2020. China led the market with 35 projects, followed by India and Australia. In few APAC countries, such as Singapore, Indonesia, and Australia, DRUPS systems' procurement combined with flywheel UPS and diesel generators are higher than stand-alone systems and generators. In addition, the awareness of lithium-ion systems has grown significantly in few countries such as India and Australia. In India, at least 7 out of 10 data center operators are considering the potential benefits of deploying lithium-ion solutions.

INSIGHTS BY VENDORS

Over the next few years, data center operators will increasingly explore the adoption of modern technologies such as lithium-ion batteries, Nickel-Zinc, and Prussian Sodium-ion UPS systems. The continuous innovations in improving the modularity and efficiency of UPS solutions will intensify the competition. In addition, the price of lithium-ion batteries is likely to decrease, thereby aiding in the procurement of high-capacity batteries. ABB, Eaton, Schneider Electric, and Vertiv are continually upgrading their product portfolio to increase market competitiveness.

The data center UPS market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry analysis with revenue and forecast insights for the following segments:

UPS Type

• VRLA Systems
• Flywheel Systems
• Lithium-ion Systems

UPS Systems

• <=500 kVA
• 500−1,000 kVA
• >1,000 kVA

By Tier Standards 

• Tier I & II
• Tier III
• Tier IV

By Geography

• North America 
• US
• Canada
• Latin America
• Brazil
• Other Latin American Countries
• Western Europe
• UK
• Germany
• France
• Netherlands
• Ireland
• Other Western European Countries
• Nordic
• Denmark
• Iceland & Finland
• Norway
• Sweden
• Central & Eastern Europe
• Russia & Czech Republic
• Poland & Austria
• Other Central and Eastern Countries
• Middle East
• GCC
• Other Middle Eastern Countries
• Africa
• South Africa
• Kenya
• Other African Countries
• APAC
• China & Hong Kong
• Australia & New Zealand
• India
• Japan
• Rest of APAC
• Southeast Asia
• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Thailand
• Indonesia
• Other Southeast Asian Countries