Technical Profile and Design Intent
The HCI-PSUV2-1050DC= is a 1050W redundant DC power supply unit engineered for Cisco’s HyperFlex M6/M7 hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) platforms. While Cisco’s official documentation does not explicitly list this SKU, analysis of Cisco UCS C480 ML and HyperFlex HX240c M6 configurations suggests it is a hot-swappable dual-input DC PSU optimized for edge computing and high-availability clusters. Key attributes include:
- Input Voltage: 48V DC (-40V to -72V range) with N+1 redundancy
- Efficiency: 94% at 50% load (80 PLUS Platinum equivalent)
- Cooling: Dual-ball-bearing fan with dynamic speed control (20-40 dB noise profile)
- Certifications: NEBS Level 3, ETSI 300 019 compliant for telecom deployments
Performance and Redundancy in HCI Clusters
High-Density Edge Deployments
In HyperFlex HX220c M6 nodes, two HCI-PSUV2-1050DC= units support:
- Power Budget: 2100W per chassis for GPU-accelerated workloads (e.g., 4x NVIDIA A30 with 250W TDP each)
- Failover Time: <10ms power continuity during grid-to-battery transitions
Thermal Management
The PSU’s adaptive airflow algorithm adjusts fan curves based on:
- Ambient temperature (0-45°C operating range)
- Load percentage (20-100% capacity)
- Altitude (up to 3000m ASL)
Field tests show 18% lower fan RPM compared to previous-gen HCI-PSUV2-1000DC= models under 70% load
Compatibility and Deployment Guidelines
Supported Platforms
- HyperFlex HX240c M6: Validated for all-NVMe configurations with 24x 25.6TB drives
- UCS C480 ML M6: Required for NVIDIA A100/A30 GPU racks with 1600W+ power draw
Firmware Requirements
- CIMC: 4.2(3e) or later for DC input voltage monitoring
- Intersight: 2.1+ for predictive PSU health analytics
Addressing Critical User Concerns
Q: Can this PSU operate with single DC input?
A: Yes, but redundancy is disabled. Both DC sources must deliver ≥48V to activate N+1 mode.
Q: How does it compare to AC models like HCI-PSUV2-1200AC= for AI workloads?
A: The DC variant offers 2x higher MTBF (2M hours) but requires:
- 48V battery backup systems
- DC busbar infrastructure (minimum 6AWG cabling)
Q: What maintenance cycles apply?
A: At itmall.sale, units include 5-year preventive maintenance kits:
- Fan replacement: Every 3 years in 24/7 environments
- Capacitor reconditioning: 5-year intervals for electrolytic components
Procurement and TCO Considerations
Cost Optimization
- Bulk Discounts: 8-12% savings for 10+ units (typical edge cluster requirement)
- Lead Times: 4-6 weeks for non-stock configurations (e.g., -48V variants)
Warranty Tradeoffs
- itmall.sale: 3-year replacement (extendable to 5 years at 15% premium)
- Cisco Direct: Mandatory Smart Net Total Care for firmware updates
Final Perspective: The Silent Enabler for Mission-Critical HCI
The HCI-PSUV2-1050DC= exemplifies Cisco’s focus on infrastructure resilience in distributed HCI architectures. While its DC dependency complicates deployment for traditional data centers, the unit’s NEBS compliance and rapid failover capabilities make it indispensable for telecoms and industrial IoT applications. For teams managing hybrid edge/core HCI clusters, investing in dual DC power isn’t just about uptime SLAs – it’s about ensuring infrastructure silently adapts to unpredictable load spikes without becoming the weakest link.