HARTING Technology Group has joined NVIDIA’s MGX infrastructure ecosystem as a power connectivity supplier, introducing cable assembly designs intended to connect building distribution systems with increasingly power-intensive AI computing racks. The German industrial connector manufacturer is supporting an existing 480V AC arrangement and a next-generation 800V DC architecture associated with the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 platform.
HARTING has specified two power whip assemblies for the NVIDIA Vera Rubin NVL72 environment. Its 100A/480V AC assembly serves a 3RU, 110kW power shelf, while a next-generation assembly is rated at 157A/800V DC. The company describes the latter as a DC-DC power whip, meaning a cable assembly used within the direct-current distribution path; the cable is not itself a voltage converter. Both are due to be displayed at the Open Compute Project Global Summit. HARTING has not disclosed confirmed installed volumes or a commissioning schedule.
A power whip is an engineered cable assembly incorporating conductors, terminations, insulation and connection interfaces appropriate to its rated operating conditions. It provides a controlled electrical path between a distribution point and a rack or power shelf. Although less conspicuous than server processors or power conversion modules, the assembly must carry the specified current while meeting the installation, temperature and electrical safety requirements of the system.
As rack demand rises, the dimensions and operating conditions of the distribution path become increasingly important. For an unchanged resistance, heat generated by current in a conductor rises approximately with the square of that current. Higher distribution voltage can reduce the current needed to carry a given power, subject to the configuration and losses of the overall system. Insulation, creepage and clearance distances, connector geometry, temperature rise and fault protection still require suitable design at the new voltage; a smaller current alone does not establish a safer installation.
The 480V AC and 800V DC products should not be treated as directly interchangeable. Alternating-current distribution involves phase arrangements and power conversion steps that differ from those of a direct-current bus. Likewise, a current rating is not itself a measure of rack consumption: delivered power depends on electrical configuration, operating voltage, phase arrangement, converter characteristics and the number of parallel connections.
Direct-current fault interruption presents a different engineering problem from alternating-current interruption because DC lacks the regular natural current zero that assists AC arc extinction. Switching equipment and protection settings must therefore be selected for the applicable voltage and prospective fault current, with procedures that protect personnel during maintenance. The HARTING announcement gives ratings for its assemblies rather than a complete account of power system protection. Those ratings are insufficient to assess how faults would be isolated in a particular 800V DC installation.
The move towards higher distribution voltages is driven in part by the growing power demand of dense accelerator installations. Once racks require substantially greater input power, designers must reconsider how energy moves from building switchgear through distribution equipment and conversion stages to the compute hardware. In addition to conductor losses, the physical space occupied by cables, termination access and service arrangements can affect how readily a facility can scale.
HARTING brings manufacturing and connection-system experience from sectors including railway rolling stock and automotive engineering. Both environments involve electrical connections exposed to defined mechanical, thermal and service conditions, although their requirements cannot simply be carried over to data centres without application-specific qualification. Product selection for an AI facility will require electrical ratings, thermal tests and assurance about how assemblies integrate with the particular power shelf or rack.
HARTING’s MGX participation establishes a role in the connectivity ecosystem, while commercial supply will require agreed cable specifications, electrical qualification and customer acceptance. The 157A/800V DC assembly has not been tied to a disclosed order volume or commissioning timetable. Interface dimensions, insulation performance and thermal behaviour will have to be demonstrated for the power distribution equipment receiving the cable.
HARTING also says its equipment will appear on the MGX ecosystem display at the 2026 Open Compute Project Global Summit, with two power whip solutions at its own stand. A demonstration can show mechanical fit and the proposed distribution interfaces, but operating reliability is established through the full chain of design validation, installation practice, system protection and ongoing inspection.
The two designs support different power distribution architectures: a defined 480V AC interface for the current power shelf and an 800V DC cable assembly intended for future rack systems. Engineering validation will have to cover the connected distribution and conversion stages, fault interruption, terminations and safe maintenance access. Installed systems and customer testing will establish which configuration is adopted commercially.
