EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A global power producer Cummins Inc. has announced that its Power Generation business has been selected to supply battery energy storage systems (BESS) for a large data center project in the United States. The systems will support utility-defined requirements for managing AI-driven load fluctuations, mitigating load oscillations and enhancing ride-through performance.

The project is expected to represent Cummins’ largest BESS deployment to date. The company did not disclose the data center developer, project location, total BESS capacity, number of battery units or deployment timeline in the announcement.

The BESS will form part of the data center’s power architecture and is designed to rapidly charge and discharge in response to changes in electricity demand. According to Cummins, this capability can reduce demand spikes, improve power quality and maintain a more stable load profile at the utility interconnection point.

Cummins launched its BESS solutions in May 2025 as part of its power generation portfolio. For data center applications, the company positions battery storage for use alongside available grid capacity and other power generation systems. Potential configurations include bridge-to-grid deployments, integration with backup power systems and incorporation into broader microgrid architectures.

The Cummins BESS platform has a nominal capacity of 5 MWh and uses lithium iron phosphate battery chemistry with liquid cooling thermal management. Its flexible DC block architecture is compatible with multiple power conversion system (PCS) and energy management system (EMS) ecosystems. The platform is also designed for integration with diesel and natural gas generators.

For data center and AI campus applications, the system is designed to support hyperscale workloads while managing peak demand and rapid changes in AI-driven electricity consumption. Cummins said these capabilities can help customers optimize available grid capacity and meet utility-defined load-management requirements.

The BESS platform is listed against several safety and grid-related standards, including UL 9540A, UL 9540, UL 1973, NFPA 855, NFPA 68, IEEE 1547 and UL 1741 SA/SB.

Cummins stated that battery storage is becoming a key part of data center power strategies. Developers are adopting these systems to address grid constraints and long interconnection queues. They also use them to manage increasing energy costs. Additionally, battery storage helps support the growing power demands of AI infrastructure.