Researchers and companies are redesigning the century-old grid component to handle rising electricity demand.

Transformers move electricity between circuits and sit across the grid, yet their basic design has barely changed in about a century. Solid-state versions combine magnetic components with high-power semiconductors, making them more compact and giving operators finer control over power flow. Researchers and companies are now working to modernize the devices as demand rises.

A conventional transformer relies on a core of grain-oriented electrical steel and coils of copper wire, with the loop counts on each coil setting the voltage on either side. Electricity may pass through several such units between a solar plant and a home, stepping voltage up for transmission and back down for local distribution. Supply of these units is tight.

For operators, a compact transformer with semiconductor controls opens the door to finer voltage regulation and faster response to load swings than steel-and-copper units allow. Solid-state designs use less specialized steel and copper, which matters when those materials are scarce. Builders planning data center campuses should watch how utilities qualify and test these units before they enter substations.

Solid-state transformers remain in development and cannot yet replace the largest high-voltage units that long-distance transmission depends on. Expect pilot deployments at substations and industrial sites, plus standards work around testing and reliability. Watch whether utilities accept solid-state units at transmission-scale voltages, since that step decides how far the technology spreads.

What matters

• Solid-state transformers pair magnetic cores with high-power semiconductors for tighter control.
• Operators face long lead times and tight supply for the conventional transformers that step voltage.
• Solid-state units still cannot replace the largest high-voltage transformers used on transmission lines.

Why it matters

Solid-state units still cannot replace the largest high-voltage transformers used on transmission lines.

This GenAI News article was prepared in original wording using reporting and materials published by MIT Technology Review AI. Source reference: https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/10/27/1147684/solid-state-transformers/.

Drafted by the GenAI News review pipeline.