Prismatic UPS battery 'U8A3' earns enterprise tech honor

Space efficiency up 33% over previous models; high output and safety secured

Thermal propagation blocked in large-scale indoor fire test

Supply deals in the works as AI data center demand grows

Samsung SDI's prismatic battery solution for uninterruptible power supplies, the SDI U8A3-UPS, which won a CES 2027 Innovation Award. Designed to deliver stable power to AI data centers, the product improves space efficiency by 33% over previous models. [Samsung SDI]
Samsung SDI's prismatic battery solution for uninterruptible power supplies, the SDI U8A3-UPS, which won a CES 2027 Innovation Award. Designed to deliver stable power to AI data centers, the product improves space efficiency by 33% over previous models. [Samsung SDI]

Samsung SDI will receive an Innovation Award at CES, the world's largest consumer electronics and IT exhibition, for a battery technology that maintains stable power supply in AI data centers. The recognition highlights the product's improved space efficiency over existing models and its reduced risk of fire propagation.

Samsung SDI announced Tuesday that its prismatic battery solution for uninterruptible power supplies, the SDI U8A3-UPS, had been selected as a CES 2027 Innovation Award honoree in the enterprise technology category by the Consumer Technology Association on Sunday (local time).

The win extends Samsung SDI's consecutive Innovation Award streak to three years, following its first such recognition at CES 2025.

An uninterruptible power supply, or UPS, is a device that instantly delivers battery-stored power when an external power source is disrupted by an outage or voltage instability. It is used in facilities where even a brief interruption can cause serious damage — including data centers, hospitals and telecommunications infrastructure.

AI data centers are particularly dependent on stable power, as they run large-scale servers and high-performance semiconductors simultaneously. Devices capable of supplementing power supply are also needed when AI computing workloads cause sudden spikes in electricity consumption.

Samsung SDI developed the U8A3-UPS with these data center conditions in mind.

The product uses prismatic battery cells made with lithium manganese oxide material, achieving both high output and high energy density at the same time.

It improves space efficiency by 33% compared with previous products, allowing batteries to be installed more effectively within the constrained footprint of a data center and enabling fewer units to deliver the required power output.

The battery also provides supplemental power when AI servers draw large amounts of electricity in short bursts, reducing the risk of server instability or data corruption caused by sudden surges in demand.

Enhanced fire safety is another key feature of the product.

Samsung SDI announced in July that the UPS battery had met all evaluation criteria in a large-scale indoor fire test conducted by global safety certification body UL Solutions — the first product in the world to do so under those test standards.

The test involves deliberately igniting a battery module to determine whether an internal fire spreads to surrounding units.

During the test, the Samsung SDI battery module burned out completely, but the fire did not spread to adjacent battery racks, and no explosion or rupture occurred. The fire self-extinguished without sprinkler activation.

Samsung SDI achieved this by applying fire-suppression technology that leverages the aluminum casing and vents of its prismatic cells, along with a proprietary system architecture.

The company is also accelerating its data center battery business in step with the expansion of AI data centers.

At Data Centre World Asia 2026 in Singapore in September, Samsung SDI unveiled a lineup of data center battery products, including UPS units, battery backup units and ESS.

A battery backup unit, or BBU, is a compact battery device installed close to servers to supplement power delivery. Used alongside UPS systems — which handle emergency power for an entire data center — BBUs help improve overall power supply stability.

Growing demand for data center batteries has also contributed to Samsung SDI's recent earnings improvement.

Samsung SDI posted sales of 4.69 trillion won ($3.45 billion) and operating profit of 407.8 billion won in the third quarter of this year. Sales rose 52.6% from the same period last year, and operating profit reached its highest level in 12 quarters since the third quarter of 2023.

Samsung SDI is also in talks with global customers on long-term supply contracts in the power ESS and UPS segments, with plans to finalize the agreements by year-end and broaden the growth base for those businesses.

"This award reflects recognition of the innovation behind a core power solution for the AI era," a Samsung SDI official said. "We will continue to lead the market with products that combine the performance and safety our customers demand."

Samsung SDI has received an Innovation Award every year since first winning the honor for a battery product at CES 2025.

At the CES 2026 Innovation Awards announced last year, the SDI 25U-Power, an ultra-high-output cylindrical battery, took the Best of Innovation Award, while the company's "No TP" technology — which prevents heat generated inside a battery from spreading to neighboring cells — received an Innovation Award.


kwater@heraldcorp.com