Data Center Power and Reliability Challenges in Production Environments

Data centers are now at the core of digital operations, and their reliability depends on a dense electrical infrastructure where every component plays a role, from UPS systems, switchgear, ATS, and busways to servers and power quality monitoring systems.

To keep that infrastructure stable, operators and OEMs need more than basic functional checks. They need validation methods that reflect real operating conditions, along with continuous visibility into how power behaves over time.

In practice, several electrical issues can quietly undermine performance, safety, and uptime:

  • Harmonics generated by switch-mode power supplies
  • Voltage disturbances such as sags, swells, and transients
  • Hidden failures linked to poor micro-ohm contact resistance
  • Busway hot spots that can develop under load
  • ATS transfer issues that affect power continuity
  • UPS runtime calculations that do not reflect realistic conditions

Without the right test strategy and monitoring approach, these problems may remain undetected until commissioning or field operation. The risk only grows as data center programs scale across multiple sites. When issues surface in operation, the cost of downtime is severe.

Test and Validation Capabilities Across Data Center Systems

Averna provides data center testing solutions which include server assemblies and electrical infrastructure, including power quality measurement. We support OEMs in validating their systems from development through to mass production, with methods adapted to EVT, DVT, PVT phases.

Our test strategies are developed in parallel with product design to support production ramp-up and simplify the transfer to contract manufacturers. This approach improves continuity across manufacturing phases and reduces validation discrepancies between sites or programs.

Our capabilities extend across multiple assembly levels, including L6 (TPUs, optical switch), L10 (trays), and L11 (server racks), from subsystems to fully integrated racks. This multi-level logic enables progressive validation of equipment while maintaining strict requirements for measured quality and system behavior.

Data Center Commissioning Support

Averna develops customized distributed measurement solutions designed to address common challenges during data center commissioning. These systems improve data collection accuracy and accelerate analysis by up to 67%, helping teams make faster decisions during critical commissioning phases.

They also increase safety in regulated environments by improving visibility into system behavior during validation and startup.

Typical capabilities include:

  • System design
  • Functional testing equipment
  • Power quality monitors and analyzers Integration and performance validation
  • Documentation and support

Key Areas of Expertise

We can help you at various levels.

Server and Network Infrastructure Testing

  • Optical switch validation
  • Insertion and return loss measurement
  • Data transfer integrity
  • MEMS device testing
  • System-level validation

Electrical Power Infrastructure Testing

  • UPS runtime and energy storage system testing
  • Load bank simulation
  • ATS transfer testing
  • Breaker injection testing
  • Insulation and contact resistance measurement

Power Quality Metering & Analysis

  • Harmonic analysis
  • Transient detection
  • Continuous event logging
  • PUE monitoring
  • DCIM integration
Test Solutions for Data Centers Servers by Averna

Our Data Center Power Test Equipment

This is only part of our off-the-shelf portfolio. Averna also develops custom test platforms for specific data center power validation, commissioning, and monitoring requirements.

The PQA series includes fixed and portable power quality analyzers supported by dedicated software. These distributed measurement solutions help teams capture, analyze, and act on critical electrical data during commissioning and operation.

PQA-FLEX

PQA-FLEX

  • Modular fixed analyzer supporting up to 6 input modules per unit for scalable deployment.
  • Measures voltage, current, power, harmonics (up to 50th / 180th optional), and voltage events in compliance with IEC 61000-4-30 Class A.
  • Captures waveform data with up to 512 samples per period for detailed signal analysis.
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PQA-MultiSystem

PQA‑MultiSystem

  • Designed to monitor multiple 3-phase systems simultaneously with full harmonic and transient analysis
  • Sampling rates up to 57,600 samples/second with pre-trigger recording for accurate disturbance capture
  • Includes FFT analysis, flicker measurement (IEC 61000-4-15), and real-time event detection.
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PQA-PortableUltra

PQA-PortableUltra

  • Portable analyzer with voltage measurement up to 1 kV RMS and accuracy better than 0.05%
  • Captures transients up to 124 kSa/s per channel (up to 840 kSa/s depending on configuration)
  • Supports harmonic analysis up to 500 kHz and includes advanced reporting with spectral and statistical analysis
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PQA-SCADA Central Software

PQA‑SCADA Central Software

  • Centralized platform for real-time and historical data across distributed measurement networks
  • Supports automated event detection, reporting, and supervision of all connected systems
  • Enables integration with DCIM and deployment on-site or in the cloud.
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Ensure Power Stability Before It Impacts Uptime

Reduce commissioning risk with the right test approach.

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Why Data Center Leaders Trust Averna

Over 25 years of delivering high-precision engineering to the world’s most demanding industries.

Certified Quality

Our electrical test equipment meets IP53 and IEC61010 standards for safe, robust operation in demanding environments.

Global Engineering Footprint

We support multi-site deployments and replicate test systems across continents with consistent performance.

Advanced R&D

We develop FPGA-based systems and custom test software in LabVIEW and Python for demanding technical requirements.

Decades of Domain Knowledge

Our expertise comes from high-reliability sectors such as defense, medical devices, energy, and electronics, where precision matters.

How Data Center Power Systems are Validated in Practice

Data center power systems must be validated under realistic electrical conditions before deployment. High-level checks are not enough when uptime depends on how systems behave under full load, during transfer events, or over extended operation. Here is how Averna approaches validation across the power chain.

UPS and Load Validation

UPS systems must be tested under conditions that reflect actual deployment. We use both DC and AC load banks to push systems to their limits before they reach the field.

  • DC load banks perform full discharge battery testing to confirm battery runtime under realistic draw conditions.
  • Resistive and reactive AC load banks reproduce full IT equipment load, validating inverter performance, bypass behavior, and cooling system response simultaneously.

Transfer and Protection Testing

Transfer reliability and breaker accuracy are non-negotiable. We simulate real fault conditions to verify that protection mechanisms respond exactly as designed.

  • An AC source controller simulates a full utility outage to confirm the ATS accurately senses the loss of power and transfers the critical load to backup without interruption.
  • Primary and secondary current injection testers verify that circuit breaker trip settings operate precisely within tolerance, catching misconfigured protection before it becomes a fault event.

Power Quality and Transients

Continuous measurement across harmonics, transients, and efficiency metrics gives operators the visibility they need to act before problems escalate.

  • Power quality analyzers and transient recorders measure voltage harmonics and confirm transfer switchover time is near-zero.
  • High-end analyzers quantify current harmonics from switch-mode power supplies, preventing neutral overloading and transformer degradation over time.
  • Permanent power quality loggers run 24/7, capturing sags, swells, and transients to provide forensic data whenever root-cause analysis is needed.

Component Health and Electrical Integrity

Resistance measurement and insulation testing uncover weak points before energization.

  • Megohmmeters assess insulation integrity across breakers and connection points, flagging degradation that could lead to arc faults or overheating under load.
  • Digital Low Resistance Ohmmeters (DLROs) measure contact resistance in micro-ohms, detecting under-torqued fasteners and corroded surfaces before they cause Joule heating or voltage drop failures.

Thermal and Continuous Monitoring

Infrared inspection and automated data logging provide the ongoing visibility needed to maintain reliability, at scale.

  • Thermal imaging cameras (IR) scan busway joints and tap-off units for abnormal heat signatures, identifying installation defects that would otherwise go undetected until failure.
  • Automated data collection organizes measurement records continuously, supporting both regulatory compliance and long-term predictive maintenance across multi-site deployments.
Test Solutions for Data Centers Electrical Power Lifecycle by Averna
Case Study

Data Center Power Quality Monitoring with Customized PQM Solutions

Averna designed customized, CE‑marked and UL‑listed Power Quality Meters (PQM) based on a robust distributed architecture. Each PQM functions as a node within a site‑deployed measurement network and can execute custom test scenarios. An FPGA‑based measurement core enables software‑driven hardware reconfigurability.
3 PQM models deployed
1,000 of PQMs delivered
40+ site deployments across 5 continents

Associated Resources

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Partner with Experts in Data Center Testing

From commissioning to full-scale production, Averna is the test engineering partner data center operators and OEMs trust to get it right the first time.