Nvidia launches the DSX Ready Certification Program and qualifies Tesla and Vertiv as the first partners for AI Factories infrastructure.
Nvidia has launched a new certification program aimed at standardizing the power and cooling infrastructure surrounding its AI computing hardware. Announced September 21, the DSX Ready program names Tesla and Vertiv among the first companies whose products have qualified under the framework. The initiative helps builders of AI data centers—referred to as "AI factories"—identify power and cooling products meeting Nvidia's DSX reference designs, while giving infrastructure partners "a defined way to demonstrate that a specific offering meets the requirements for its category" and data center developers "a clear qualification to look for" when selecting suppliers.
The program launches with two initial product categories: battery energy storage systems (BESS) and cooling distribution units (CDUs). In battery storage, Nvidia has qualified products from Hitachi Energy, LG Energy Solution, and Tesla's grid-scale Megapack battery system. In cooling, the company has qualified products from LG Electronics, LiquidStack, and Vertiv, with Vertiv's qualification specifically covering its 2.3-megawatt CoolChip coolant distribution unit.
Nvidia's move extends its influence well beyond GPUs into the electrical and thermal management systems that determine whether large-scale AI data centers operate reliably. A single rack of Nvidia's most advanced GPUs now draws more than 100 kilowatts of power. Modern AI computing clusters stack hundreds or thousands of such racks, with entire facilities scaling to hundreds of megawatts of total power demand—making power stability, backup capacity, liquid cooling, and system controls central engineering concerns.
For battery storage suppliers, Nvidia requires defined tests and supporting data evaluated against its reference specifications. The battery qualification process examines grid-adaptive power conversion performance, including dynamic power response, current limiting, low-voltage ride-through capability, and islanded operation—a system's ability to supply power independently if disconnected from the broader electrical grid. Cooling distribution unit providers use a self-qualification testing suite to demonstrate compliance with Nvidia's requirements.
Nvidia has stressed that DSX Ready qualification does not replace site-specific engineering and validation required for individual data center projects, nor does it guarantee a supplier will win a specific deployment contract or site approval. Additional infrastructure and software categories are expected to be added over time.
Vertiv's qualification formalizes an already substantial relationship with Nvidia, following their collaboration on prefabricated data center systems and digital-twin modeling for AI factory designs. For Tesla, the qualification places Megapack directly within the broader AI infrastructure conversation, opening potential demand beyond its traditional focus on utility-scale and renewable energy projects. Battery systems like Megapack smooth power fluctuations, provide backup capability during outages, and support data center sites awaiting electrical grid upgrades—functions increasingly relevant as AI data centers strain local power infrastructure.
DSX Ready builds on Nvidia's broader DSX platform, first introduced at its 2026 GTC conference in Taipei as a unified framework for designing, deploying, and managing AI factories as integrated systems spanning compute, networking, power, cooling, facilities, and software. Analysts have noted that DSX Ready's significance lies less in Nvidia directly controlling data center physical infrastructure and more in the company effectively defining what a properly deployable, Nvidia-compatible AI factory should look like—a dynamic that could steer developers toward Nvidia's qualified supplier list when specifying equipment for new projects.
Regulatory filings reviewed by financial analysts showed Nvidia held by 285 hedge funds as of the second quarter of 2026, up from 275 in the first quarter, with Fisher Asset Management increasing its stake by roughly 3%. Tesla's hedge fund ownership declined slightly to 116 holders from 123, though investment firm BAMCO held more than 12.5 million shares after increasing its position by 5%. Vertiv's hedge fund ownership climbed to roughly 112 holders from 96 in the prior quarter, with AQR Capital Management holding nearly 2.7 million shares after modestly increasing its stake. These filings predate the DSX Ready announcement and reflect investor positioning ahead of the announcement rather than in direct response.
With DSX Ready now formally launched and additional product categories expected to follow, the program is likely to become an increasingly significant factor in how AI data center developers select power and cooling suppliers, giving Nvidia a growing role in shaping the broader physical infrastructure ecosystem surrounding its computing hardware.