IONATE and Magtech Bring Intelligent Transformers to Nordic AI Data Centres

Intelligent transformers for the AI power era

The partnership comes as Nordic countriesare emerging as one of Europe’s fastest-growing hubs for AI and high-performance computing infrastructure.

Abundant renewable power, cool climates and supportive industrial policies are driving a new wave of hyperscale investment. Regional data centre capacity is expected to double by 2030 as global technology companies build facilities designed to support artificial intelligence workloads.

At the same time, electrification across heavy industry, maritime transport and manufacturing is rapidly increasing demand for high-quality, stable electricity.

These new loads are exposing a fundamental limitation: power infrastructure was designed for predictable power flows, not the highly dynamic energy demands of AI and electrified industry. Power stacks in grids and data centres lead to losses, limit controllability and constrain operations.

IONATE’s technology addresses this constraint by turning transformers – the building block of every electricity network – into intelligent control nodes.

Tuning transformers into grid control devices

IONATE’s Hybrid Intelligent Transformer embeds solid-state power electronics directly into the transformer, enabling precise, millisecond-level control of voltage, reactive power and power quality.

The result is an all-in-one device capable of functions that typically require several separate pieces of equipment, including voltage regulation, harmonic mitigation and reactive power control.

By actively managing power flows, HITs allow grid operators and large power users to increase network capacity, maintain stable power conditions and optimize operations.

- For data centre operators, this means highly efficient operations, with precisely controlled electricity supply for sensitive computing equipment.
- For industrial operators, the HIT protects delicate production processes from power disturbances.
- For utilities, it adds visibility and flexibility to networks facing rapid electrification.

Manufacturing for Nordic Infrastructure

Magtech, part of the Nortrafo Group, will integrate the HIT technology into its custom transformer systems manufactured at its Steinkjer facility in Norway.

The site has a long heritage in high-specification transformer engineering serving utilities and critical infrastructure operators across Scandinavia.

By combining Magtech’s transformer manufacturing capabilities with IONATE’s grid-control technology, the partnership aims to bring intelligent transformer solutions rapidly into operational power systems.

“Electricity networks were designed for a world of predictable power flows,” said Matthew Williams, CEO of IONATE. “But AI data centres and electrified industry require infrastructure that can actively manage power in real time. By embedding grid control directly with transformers with Magtech, we’re turning the backbone of the power system into an intelligent platform.”

“Customers across the Nordic region are looking for infrastructure that can actively support the performance of their power systems,” said Eilert Bjerkan, CEO of Magtech AS. “Integrating IONATE’s technology into our transformer platforms allows us to offer intelligent grid capabilities while maintaining the reliability standards expected in Nordic energy infrastructure.”

A Shift in how Electricity Networks Scale

Across Europe and globally, electricity systems are facing growing pressure from AI infrastructure, renewable generation and industrial electrification.

Rather than relying solely on newtransmission lines, utilities and large energy users are increasingly seeking grid enhancing technologies that make existing infrastructure more flexible, controllable and resilient.

By embedding real-time power flow control directly into transformers, IONATE’s technology introduces a new category of infrastructure: intelligent transformers capable of actively managing electricity networks at scale.

For IONATE, the Magtech partnership represents an important step toward deploying these systems through established European manufacturing partners as the electricity system adapts to the demands of the AI era.

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About IONATE

IONATE is building the hardware and software backbone for smart power systems. Its Hybrid Intelligent Transformer (HIT) enables real-time data and millisecond-precision control of the electric waveform. Together with the Aurora Neuralis orchestration platform, it turns passive energy infrastructure into smart, controllable, AI-ready platforms.

IONATE was named as a World Economic Forum Pioneer in 2026, a Global Cleantech 100 by the Cleantech Group and featured as a scalable advanced power flow solution in the latest State of Energy Innovation report by the International Energy Agency.

About Magtech AS / Nortrafo Group

Magtech AS is a Norwegian Voltage Quality specialist based in Trondheim and part of the Nortrafo Group, one of Scandinavia's long standing transformer manufacturing groups. The company specializes in voltage regulation and serves utilities, industrial operators and critical infrastructure across Europe.

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