Ideal Power Inc (NASDAQ:IPWR, FRA:5ILA) earlier this week discussed expanding commercial opportunities tied to AI data centers, energy infrastructure modernization and growing adoption of solid-state circuit breaker technology following the company’s first-quarter update.
CEO David Somo said the company’s sales opportunity funnel had increased significantly from approximately $200 million earlier this year to more than $300 million, with opportunities now split evenly between automotive and data center-industrial applications.
Somo explained that one of the fastest-growing opportunities involves solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs), which are becoming increasingly important as data centers and energy grids transition away from traditional 400-480 volt AC systems toward modern 800-volt DC architectures.
He said the transition creates a strong fit for Ideal Power’s B-TRAN semiconductor technology, particularly as AI-driven computing infrastructure dramatically increases power requirements inside data centers.
According to Somo, rack-level power demand in data centers has historically ranged between 10 kilowatts and 50 kilowatts, but newer AI-focused systems are already increasing toward 100 kilowatts to 150 kilowatts. He added that future architectures expected in 2027 could push power requirements beyond 500 kilowatts per rack.
Somo said the increasing energy requirements directly support demand for advanced power semiconductors such as B-TRAN.
The company also continues expanding its footprint in Asia, where Somo said Ideal Power maintains a strong relationship with a lead customer while broadening project opportunities across low, medium and high-current SSCB applications.
These projects span data centers, energy storage systems, grid infrastructure and smart industrial building markets.
Additionally, Somo highlighted emerging opportunities involving solid-state transformers, which he said could become an important component of the long-term migration toward high-voltage DC systems across energy and computing infrastructure markets.
Another potential catalyst discussed during the interview was Ideal Power’s collaboration with a partner to develop intelligent SSCBs that can be evaluated directly by hyperscalers. Somo said this initiative could help the company demonstrate its technology directly to major end users operating large-scale AI infrastructure.
Looking ahead, management plans to continue expanding the sales funnel, advancing customer testing programs and working toward initial revenue generation opportunities and sales orders during the remainder of the year.
