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APC’s New Power Distribution Unit Features Hot-Swappable

Modular Circuit Breakers and a “Touch-Safe” Backplane

West Kingston, RI– APC, a global leader in integrated critical power and cooling services, today announced the Modular Three-Phase Power Distribution Unit (PDU). APC’s new modular PDU brings right-sized scalability and flexibility down to the rack level in the first ever fully modular PDU. Featuring hot-swappable modular circuit breakers, the new APC Modular Three-Phase PDU allows electricians, facilities engineers, and data center managers to add and replace circuit breakers, cordset and branch current monitoring without disruption to other circuits or mission critical applications.

“Implementing a modular approach in the data center is critical for appropriately scaling solutions, allowing customers to avoid over-sizing and realize an incremental growth strategy for IT architecture,” said Dave Guidette, senior vice president, Enterprise Systems and Service, APC. “APC’s new Modular Three-Phase PDU provides customers with the ability to scale their data center environment right down to the rack with an ultra-high efficiency design and unmatched flexibility.”

The ultra-high efficiency design of APC’s new Modular Three-Phase PDU allows for removal of traditional isolation/step-down transformers, and replacement with highly efficient autotransformer technology. The net results are removal of heat, and the addition of usable floor space in the data center. Where legacy design relies on distribution of 208V three phase power throughout the data center, the new APC Modular PDU distributes the three-phase power at a much higher 415V, delivering more power at the same amperage – also reducing first cost by reducing the diameter of the copper cordsets used to deliver the electricity to the rack. Using this innovative multi-angled approach helps reduce electrical usage, reclaim floor space, and ease the heat load being introduced to the cooling systems.

The APC Modular Three-Phase PDU, featuring a 12-inch wide design, is the industry’s only solution providing hot-swappable Modular Circuit Breakers. This allows data center and facilities managers to tailor power distribution quickly, and reconfigure rack power. It consists of two simple components – a reduced footprint enclosure and a three-phase circuit breaker housed in a power distribution module with pre-terminated cordsets. This configuration optimizes space and allows data center designers to repeatedly reduce the power distribution footprint in each row of IT enclosures, while mitigating any risk to users of the data center equipment.

A “touch-safe” backplane enables online reconfiguration for speedy creation of a right-sized environment. The innovative and installation-friendly design is UL listed and the only 480-415V autotransformer technology engineered with integrated hot-swap breaker modules. The distribution of these higher voltages, a relatively new concept in North America, can nearly double the power density in half the square footage occupied by traditional distribution devices, also providing an efficiency gain, allowing greater room and row-based cooling performance in higher density environments. The APC Modular PDU reduces procurement and installation costs by enabling the use of smaller diameter cord-sets, reducing heat in the data center.

The APC Three-Phase Modular PDU is currently available in North Americafor 480VAC output UPS applications. This new modular solution is highly manageable through APC’s comprehensive management solutions including InfraStruXure Central. A browser accessible, user-friendly tool, InfraStruXure Central provides monitoring of power, cooling, and environmental management at the rack or room level. For more information about APC’s innovative modular power solutions, please visit www.apc.com or call 800-877-4080.

About APC

APC by Schneider Electric, a global leader in critical power and cooling services, provides industry leading product, software and systems for home, office, data center and factory floor applications. Backed by the strength, experience, and wide network of Schneider Electric’s Critical Power & Cooling Services, APC delivers well planned, flawlessly installed and maintained solutions throughout their lifecycle. Through its unparalleled commitment to innovation, APC delivers pioneering, energy efficient solutions for critical technology and industrial applications. In 2007, Schneider Electric acquired APC and combined it with MGE UPS Systems to form Schneider Electric’s Critical Power & Cooling Services Business Unit, which recorded 2007 revenue of $3.5 billion (€2.4 billion) and employed 12,000 people worldwide. APC solutions include uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), precision cooling units<span style="f