Schneider Electric, in collaboration with Nvidia, has prepared a validated reference design for Vera Rubin NVL72 racks. This design aims to demonstrate how power supply and cooling for new rack-scale AI systems can operate at scale, with a view toward AI factories that will eventually reach gigawatt levels.
During Nvidia’s GTC conference, Schneider Electric announced that it is ready with reference designs for integrating the latest Nvidia hardware into data centers. This is one of the first designs for Nvidia Vera Rubin NVL72 racks, focusing on the practical infrastructure surrounding them, such as power and cooling.
The designs were developed with the help of Nvidia and Aveva, an industrial software company within the Schneider Electric group. In addition to the reference design, there are also announcements regarding digital twins and agentic AI for data center operations.
Vera Rubin reference design
The new Vera Rubin reference design describes how power supply and cooling for the latest Nvidia rack-scale architectures should be configured. Schneider Electric is integrating the design with its own reference designs for operating systems, providing the market with a validated blueprint for infrastructure surrounding heavy-duty AI racks.
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Specifically, the design provides a new power distribution with 480 VAC and support for a TCS supply temperature of 45°C. Schneider Electric is also outlining a new IT room architecture where clusters of AI racks share central network, storage, CPU, and support racks. This allows GPU racks to remain close together while operating at a separate, higher voltage.
Validation
The design takes into account various operational settings for GPU racks, including MaxP and MaxQ. According to Schneider Electric, using MaxQ can deliver more tokens per watt. This should help bypass power constraints and better utilize available computing power.
Validation was performed using ETAP models for electrical system design and ITD CFD models for optimizing layout and airflows. Schneider Electric states this based on its own simulation and design tools.
Schneider Electric aims to position itself as a complete partner for the installation of new data centers. Ready-to-use reference designs for demanding AI racks are a crucial part of that strategy. With these designs, the company combines its electrical expertise with, among other things, the water cooling capabilities of its subsidiary Motivair. Schneider Electric has also already introduced reference designs for Nvidia Blackwell.
Digital twins
Meanwhile, Aveva is working with Nvidia to develop a lifecycle digital twin architecture in Nvidia Omniverse. Schneider Electric is building SimReady assets and digital twins for this, supported by Aveva software. This integration will be part of the Nvidia Omniverse DSX Blueprint ecosystem.
According to the companies involved, this approach should combine simulations, visualization, and design tools to shorten the time-to-token. Aveva simulates power distribution, thermodynamics, airflows, and control technology, among other things, to validate designs before physical construction begins. Schneider Electric is also testing Nvidia Nemotron for agentic AI in alarm management as a step toward more autonomous, software-defined operations.