IN Brief:
- DG Matrix has increased Interport output from 200kW to 400kW within essentially the same power-module footprint.
- STMicroelectronics silicon carbide devices contribute to claimed efficiency above 98.5% and higher power density.
- DG Matrix is developing higher-voltage Interport platforms for AI data centres, microgrids, and wider electrification systems.
DG Matrix has doubled the output of its Interport solid-state transformer platform from 200kW to 400kW while keeping essentially the same power-module footprint, using silicon carbide devices from STMicroelectronics to increase power density for AI data centres, microgrids, and other electrification systems.
The 400kW development extends a technical relationship between the two companies that predates the current Interport product. DG Matrix has used ST silicon carbide devices throughout development of the multi-port platform, while ST has provided access to newer device technology and engineering support covering voltage, current, switching, and thermal requirements.
DG Matrix says the latest implementation achieves efficiency above 98.5%. More importantly, the additional output has been achieved without a corresponding doubling of module volume, making power density the central engineering claim rather than raw output alone.
Interport replaces parts of the conventional transformer and power conversion chain with high frequency power electronics. The architecture is designed to convert and route power between grid supplies, on-site generation, storage, and loads through a programmable multi-port system rather than treating each connection as a separate conversion stage.
Silicon carbide is central to that approach because higher switching frequency can reduce the size of magnetic components while lowering switching and conduction losses relative to conventional silicon devices at high voltage. Those advantages are not free: faster switching places tighter constraints on gate drive, parasitic inductance, insulation, electromagnetic compatibility, cooling, and control.
Doubling the rating within essentially the same power-module footprint therefore requires improvements across the converter rather than simply fitting larger switches. DG Matrix attributes part of the gain to ST’s newer SiC devices and their surge-current capability, which is particularly relevant when the downstream load changes quickly.
AI infrastructure makes that behaviour more important. Large accelerator clusters can impose rapid power transients as compute utilisation changes, while individual rack power is moving towards levels that were previously associated with much larger sections of a data hall. Conversion hardware has to accommodate those changes without excessive voltage disturbance, thermal cycling, or nuisance protection events.
The industry is also examining higher-voltage DC distribution as a way of reducing current and conductor requirements between central power infrastructure and dense compute loads. Solid-state transformers fit naturally into that discussion because they can combine voltage conversion, power routing, protection, and bidirectional operation within one electronically controlled platform.
The difficulty is translating semiconductor efficiency into a complete installation that competes with established transformers, switchgear, rectifiers, and UPS architectures. Fault behaviour, protection coordination, redundancy, serviceability, control-system reliability, and capital cost remain important alongside headline conversion efficiency.
DG Matrix says ST’s role extends beyond supplying components. The companies exchange engineering information around future system requirements, allowing experience from the Interport platform to feed back into device development. That is significant in high power conversion because the practical operating limit is often determined by the interaction between semiconductor die, package, gate drive, magnetics, cooling, and firmware.
The SiC technology also reflects a widening market for wide bandgap devices outside electric vehicle traction systems. Automotive programmes have built manufacturing and qualification experience around high voltage SiC switches, while data centre and grid applications provide another route for the same material system into high volume power conversion.
DG Matrix is now working on higher-voltage and medium-voltage Interport platforms as it prepares for larger deployments. The company has not published full qualification or field-performance data for the new 400kW configuration, so the next useful evidence will come from sustained operation under realistic load transients, thermal conditions, and fault events.
Solid-state transformers have promised controllable, compact power infrastructure for years, but adoption has been limited by economics and reliability as much as semiconductor capability. Increasing output without increasing module space addresses one part of that equation. Proving that the resulting platform can maintain efficiency, protection, and serviceability in continuous operation will determine whether the density gain becomes a practical infrastructure advantage.
