• PowerCore 5.0 combines transformers, distribution, UPS, cooling, fire suppression and monitoring in a 40-foot unit assembled and tested off site
  • Bridge says factory assembly can run alongside civil works and cut delivery timelines by more than 50%, though it has not named a deployment

The fact

Singapore-headquartered hyperscale data centre operator Bridge Data Centres and electrical manufacturer Morong Electric launched PowerCore 5.0 on 6 August. Built on a 40-foot ISO container frame, the prefabricated unit combines transformers, power distribution, uninterruptible power supply equipment, cooling, fire suppression and monitoring. Bridge says each module is assembled and tested off site, with site teams completing the final cable connections after delivery.

Bridge says the module can be built and tested while civil works continue on site, which it says can reduce overall delivery time by more than 50% compared with conventional construction. The company also says large campuses could receive new units every two weeks. It has not yet named a customer deployment or disclosed the module’s rated power, and its claim that PowerCore 5.0 is the world’s first fully prefabricated power module has not been independently verified.

The assessment

PowerCore 5.0 changes the sequence of the electrical build. Instead of assembling and testing transformers, UPS and distribution equipment on site, Bridge intends to complete much of that work in the factory while civil construction continues. Once delivered, site teams would install the module and complete the final connections. This could reduce the amount of electrical integration carried out during the on-site construction programme.

Bridge says PowerCore 5.0 can cut delivery time by more than half, but it has not yet shown this on a live project. The company has also not explained exactly which stages are included in that figure. Utility connection and site energisation still sit outside the module and can determine when a data hall is actually ready. For BTW readers, the first deployment will put real dates against the claim. Factory completion, installation and energisation will show how much time the module actually removes from the electrical build.

What to watch

Watch the first disclosed deployment for its factory acceptance test, shipping date, site installation and energisation. The interval between those milestones and the site's civil-work programme will make Bridge's schedule claim measurable against the overall build. A second deployment in another market would also indicate how much local engineering the module still requires.