QuantumScape makes its move on data centers

Driving the news: It's unveiling the QS PowerBlock for AI data centers, touting high power density, long runtime, and greater safety than conventional lithium-ion batteries.

• The design can be configured to work with a large variety of data center equipment sizes and formats.

Stunning stat: The cells have demonstrated stability in conditions far above 300°C in third-party tests, QuantumScape said in describing the tech's reduced fire risk.

• That's vastly higher than conventional lithium-ion batteries that can go into "catastrophic thermal runaway" around 180°C, it said.

"Insurability of the data center gets better because of the QuantumScape battery. Permitting of the data center gets better. You can shave months off of permitting just because the battery is safer," CEO and president Siva Sivaram said in an interview.

What's next: Sivaram said talks are underway with potential customers.

• "Anywhere there is a GPU rack, this can go right next to it, and I expect that it'll get used everywhere. But first, it'll probably go into large training data centers," he said.