September 5, 2025
Simon Sparacca
Artificial intelligence is transforming the world at a pace never seen before. From autonomous vehicles to predictive healthcare and immersive virtual assistants, AI has entered every sector. But behind this digital acceleration lies a physical infrastructure: data centres.
Highly secure and power-hungry, these facilities train models, store data, and keep digital services running day and night. With their role becoming more central to the global AI and computing ecosystem, data centres now require backup power solutions that are both dependable and precisely engineered.
At Baudouin, we engineer generator sets that support the digital world with precision, performance, and a deep understanding of what’s at stake when the lights go out.
A World Built on Data and Vulnerable to Disruption
The volume of global data is expected to exceed 120 zettabytes this year, driven by everything from AI model training to streaming services and industrial IoT. Hyperscale cloud providers, telcos, and edge networks are expanding their data centre footprints at record speed to meet growing demands.
At the same time, energy systems are becoming more fragile. Ageing grid infrastructure, extreme weather events, cyberattacks, and shifting regulations are all putting new stress on power continuity. Uptime is no longer a goal. It’s a requirement.
In April 2025, a blackout in northern Spain offered a stark reminder of the risks. One colocation facility experienced eight minutes of downtime when its backup power system failed to activate correctly. This brief outage caused service disruptions for two major European retailers during peak hours, leading to SLA penalties, reputational damage, and lost revenue. In mission-critical environments, even a short delay can have lasting consequences.
What Really Keeps a Data Centre Online?
From the outside, a data centre appears sleek and self-contained. But inside, it’s a complex ecosystem of interdependent systems where power is the keystone. Every element — from servers and storage to cooling and networking — depends on uninterrupted energy.
To deliver 24/7 service, data centres are typically supported by a multi-layered power architecture. The grid provides the primary supply, while UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) systems bridge the gap during brief interruptions. Standby diesel generators provide long-duration backup during extended outages, kicking in within seconds. This entire system is coordinated by automatic transfer switches (ATS) and monitored continuously through building management and DCIM systems.
When the grid fails, this chain must activate seamlessly — and the generator becomes the backbone of resilience.
Designing Backup Power for Modern Data Centres
Data Centre Generators plays a role far beyond simply generating electricity. It must respond instantly, stabilise rapidly, and operate under extreme conditions — without compromising sensitive IT equipment.
Baudouin gensets are engineered for these exact challenges. Our solutions are compliant with ISO 8528-5 G3, which ensures voltage and frequency stability suitable for sensitive loads. They are designed for fast start-up and reliable operation in environments with high ambient temperatures or at altitude.
More importantly, we design every unit with data centre integration in mind. From real estate constraints and air flow management to emissions standards and remote monitoring, our gensets are ready for the operational demands of modern facilities.
A High-Stakes Decision for a Multi-Stakeholder Environment
Choosing the right genset supplier is a decision that involves multiple roles and responsibilities across the project lifecycle.
Consultants and designers are responsible for defining the power architecture, including load sizing, redundancy models, and Tier classification. Operators manage the facility’s performance and ensure compliance with service level agreements. EPCs and contractors handle the integration and commissioning of electrical and mechanical systems, while facility managers oversee the long-term operation and maintenance of the site.
Each of these stakeholders relies on one thing: a backup power system that is predictable, robust, and fully aligned with the technical and operational requirements of the facility.
Why Baudouin Is the Right Choice for Data Centre Backup Power
At Baudouin, we’ve built a reputation on delivering high-performance, reliable power solutions for critical applications including data centres, defense, marine, and energy applications.
Our generator sets are manufactured in our facilities in Weifang, China, and soon in Cassis, France, giving us full control over production, compliance, and lead time, a decisive advantage in today’s global supply chain environment.
We understand that consultants, EPCs, and operators need more than just one product. They need a solution that meets strict technical specifications, integrates seamlessly into complex architectures, and delivers lasting performance.
Our portfolio includes models ranging up to 6,250 kVA with the Baudouin 20M61, one of the most powerful gensets available on the market today. This model delivers exceptional power density, ideal for large data halls and hyperscale campuses, and enables greater capacity per square metre compared to many Tier 1 competitors.
Built for Where Every Square Metre Counts
In data centres, real estate is both scarce and expensive, especially in collocation or edge sites located near urban cores. The compact footprint of Baudouin gensets delivers a tangible advantage in design flexibility and total cost of ownership.
At scale, this can free up hundreds of square metres in a generator room or rooftop — allowing space for additional modules, air handling units, or maintenance access.
- A typical 6250 kVA Baudouin genset installation (open or in container) requires approximately 40–45 m², versus 55–60 m² for equivalent Tier I competitors.
- In a multi-unit array, this can represent a savings of 100–200 m²; space that can be monetised or repurposed.
- The lighter overall system weight also eases structural load constraints in rooftop configurations.
This compactness does not compromise performance. Baudouin gensets maintain full ISO 8528-5 G3 compliance and are optimized for thermal and acoustic performance even in tight enclosure volumes.
Engineered for Performance, Stability, and Efficiency
Baudouin gensets are compliant with ISO 8528-5 G3, ensuring excellent frequency and voltage stability – key for sensitive IT loads. Our gensets recover voltage and frequency within +/- 5% in less than 20 seconds under full load steps, and can handle short-circuit currents up to 300% for 10 seconds, making them compatible with robust downstream protection schemes.
Our solutions are engineered to maintain full performance at high ambient temperatures (up to 50°C) and elevated altitudes, with minimal derating thanks to optimized air handling and cooling systems.
Each model is HVO-ready, offering immediate compatibility with renewable diesel fuels to help reduce carbon footprint and meet emerging ESG targets without requiring engine modifications.
Smart, Scalable, and Integration-Ready
Whether you’re specifying for a greenfield hyperscale or retrofitting a colocation site, Baudouin gensets are designed for ease of integration.
We offer:
- Pre-engineered containerized or rooftop enclosures with low-noise options (tailored according to customer’s requirements).
- Redundancy-ready configurations for N+1 or 2N architectures, reducing commissioning time by up to 30%
Local Assembly. Global Agility.
Our upcoming Cassis factory will further enhance our responsiveness for European customers, offering final assembly, quality control, and customer-specific adaptationsclose to site. This enables lead times under six months, even for high-output nodes, andsupports local content requirements where applicable.
Each solution is backed by our engineering teams: from sizing and load profile validation to commissioning and after-sales support. With Baudouin, you’re choosing a partner that understands the demands of data centre design and builds gensets to power the data centres.
