1. Superconductor Cables for Data Center Applications
March 24, 2010

2. Agenda Introduction to AMSC AC Superconductor Cables
LV DC Superconductor Cables
A Challenge

3. About American Superconductor
Market/Ticker: NASDAQ/AMSC
Founded: 1987
Headquarters: Devens, MA
Other locations: Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Austria, China
Employees: 650+
Patents owned or licensed: 700+
AMSC Superconductors
Produces HTS wire
Designs, develops and licenses HTS products, and manages large-scale HTS projects
AMSC Power Systems
Produces power electronic D-VAR® and SVC reactive compensation systems
Provides licensed wind energy system designs

4. Partnering with AMSC AMSC offers a unique corporate experience base:
23-year history in the development and manufacture of superconductor wire and systems
Involvement in two-thirds of the world’s HTS superconductor project installations
Supplier of >75% of all HTS wire used in power applications
In-house System Planning Department experienced in modeling superconductor cable systems
Cryogenic system design expertise tailored to HTS projects
Protection and control system design expertise
Turn-key superconductor cable system integration experience
AMSC offers unmatched capabilities

5. AMSC and First Element Offer a Unique HTS Partnering Experience
DATA CENTER DESIGN SUPPORT: First Element and AMSC can assist in completing any studies needed to site, size and evaluate the system impact of HTS cables
CABLE SPECIFICATION SUPPORT: AMSC can develop cable electrical requirements.
CRYOGENIC SYSTEMS: AMSC can develop specifications for, and provide the cooling system and assist in evaluating cryogenic refrigeration options.
SYSTEM INTEGRATION SERVICES: AMSC and First Element can define the scope of supply, timelines, installation, and commissioning requirements – including turnkey services - for the overall HTS cable project.
AMSC is Uniquely Suited as an HTS Cable Project Partner 5

6. Superconductor Cables for Data Centers
AC Cables
High power cables as alternative to conventional power cables
LV DC Cables
Extremely compact
Extremely light
Allows for new data center design concepts
22kV, 50MVA Cable
LIPA 138kV, 575MVA Cable System

7. Power Transfer Equivalency of Superconductor Cables
Same Voltage, More Power
Greatly increased power transfer capacity at any voltage level
At this point it is useful to look at the power equivalency of Superconductor cables and conventional cables.
The y-axis represents different system voltage classes.
The x-axis represents how much power can be transferred by the cable.
From the graph we see the power transfer capacity of Superconductor cables in blue, and conventional cables in red.
There are two ways of looking at this. The first way is to look at the cables by voltage class. It is clear that at any given voltage, an Superconductor cable can carry significantly more power.
* Superconductor rating based on conventional 4000A breaker rating
Superconductor cables provide much greater power transfer than conventional cable

8. Application Advantages of AC Cable
Single cable can replace multiple cables
Lower power losses bring power into a data center
Lower installation costs
One of these or
All of this?
Photo courtesy MIT

9. Data Center Power Consumption
Superconductor Cables for LV DC Power Distribution in Computer Data Centers
A DC power distribution system within Data Centers could increase the efficiency of typical operations by over 28%*
Data Center Power Consumption
* “DC Power for Improved Data Center Efficiency””, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) , 2006, p60

10. Superconductor Advantages with DC Power
When carrying DC current, superconductors themselves are perfectly lossless
Regardless of length
Regardless of power rating
Benefits
No power limitations based on current-based losses
Allows higher current levels
Allows longer cable runs
Superconductors offer significant advantages in data center applications

11. Superconductor Cables for LV DC Power Distribution in Computer Data Centers
Conventional copper bus work from DC plant to PDUs
Copper Realities
Voltage Drop limits length and therefore data center design
Resistance produces heat and increased cooling costs
Large number of cables are Heavy, expensive to install, and require significant support
Copper, though effective, introduces design limitations
* “DC Power for Improved Data Center Efficiency””, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) , 2006, p60

12. Degaussing Systems Ship moving though the earth’s
magnetic field creates a magnetic
disturbance that is detectable
by enemy magnetic mines

13. Degaussing Systems
Today, heavy, bulky copper cables are used to “hide” ship magnetic signature.
Current capacity of copper often requires multiple cables to be used in a single loop =
Baseline Copper System
DDG1000
HTS
Single loop, 1/10 the weight

14. Degaussing Systems
LV DC superconductor cables are in service today in very demanding environments

15. Superconductor Cables for LV DC Power Distribution in Computer Data Centers
Cryostat
LV Superconductor DC A Power Cable
Refrigeration
HTS
Cable
Junction
Box
Monitoring
Equivalent Power Density of Copper to Superconductors
Typical helium cryocooler
* “DC Power for Improved Data Center Efficiency””, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) , 2006, p60

16. Practical deployment of Superconductor Cables in Data Centers
Refrigeration required
Larger bending radius required for cryostat (3-6’)
Tap points increase thermal load
Minimize number of tap points
Allows long runs from more centrally located DC plants
Allows higher current runs
HTS CABLE
Drops within PDU or to multiple PDUs

17. Advantages of LV Superconductor Cable
No voltage drop frees up data center design (better floor space utilization)
No electrical resistance reduces data center power consumption by up to 20% (losses and cooling)
Small single cable reduces construction cost and time
One 2” diameter, 1 lb/ft cable carries >4000A an unlimited distance with no voltage drop
Superconductors offer significant advantages in data center applications
* “DC Power for Improved Data Center Efficiency””, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) , 2006, p60

18. 48VDC Losses: Cu Vs Superconductor Cables
Length
150 ft
500 ft
1000 ft
Current
2000 A
4000 A
Superconductor cooling power
3.3kW
4.6kW
7.3kW
9.3kW
Cu* Losses
3.4kW
6.6kW
22.kW
44.3kW
Loss Improvement 2% 8%
66%
79%
Loss parity with copper for shorter distances and lower current
Efficiency increases significantly with distance and current
Superconductor cables reduce energy consumption
* 0.5A/mm2 copper capacity

19. Estimated Installed Cost 48VDC: Cu Vs Superconductor Cables
Length
150 ft
500 ft
1000 ft
Current
2000 A
4000 A
Installed Cost Savings (HTS to Cu) 0%
20%
40%
55%
One cable replaces many, reducing cost and speeding and simplifying installation
Superconductor cables have smaller footprints easing installation
Lower weight reduces cable tray costs
Superconductor cables are economical
0.5A/mm2 copper capacity
Copper cost installation estimates provided by First Element

20. Advantages of a Superconductor Cabled Data Center
Establishes a new standard in power delivery efficiency
A complete superconductor cabled data center is estimated to reduce a power requirements by 20% or more
Lower cabling installation costs
Savings driven by amperage and cable length
Enables relocation of equipment to less expensive locations
Rectifiers, batteries, and UPS systems typically consume 10% or more of a data center’s floor space
Free up space on data center floors
Superconductor cables are game changers

21. AMSC LV DC Superconductor Cables
AMSC can design and build DC superconductor cables of:
Any voltage
Any current rating
Any length
Completely engineered with cooling system and monitoring
AMSC wants to:
Develop standard LV DC product range for data center applications
Develop standardized connections, etc
AMSC is looking for Partner Companies to Deploy LV HTS Data Center Cables

22. LV Superconductor DC Power Cable
Superconductor Cables for LV DC Power Distribution in Computer Data Centers
Data Center Power Consumption
LV Superconductor DC Power Cable
A DC power distribution system within Data Centers could increase the efficiency of typical operations by over 28%*
Refrigeration
HTS in
Cryostat
Junction
Box
Monitoring
Equivalent Power Density of Copper to Superconductors
Conventional copper bus work from DC plant to PDUs
Voltage drop limits length and therefore data center design
Resistance produces heat and increased cooling costs
Large number of cables are heavy, expensive to install, and require significant support
LV Superconductor DC Power Cable
No voltage drop frees up data center design (better floor space utilization)
No electrical resistance reduces data center power consumption by up to 20% (losses and cooling)
Small single cable reduces construction cost and time
One 2” diameter, 2lb/ft cable carries >4000A an unlimited distance
Attractive for data center upgrades or rebuilds
* “DC Power for Improved Data Center Efficiency””, Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory’s (LBNL) , 2006, p60