Mr. Don Currie reports

HILLCREST ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES FINALIZES A-SAMPLE DESIGN OF ZVS PCS1000 SIDECAR POWER UNIT FOR NEXT-GENERATION AI DATA CENTERS

Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd. has finalized the A-Sample design of its ZVS PCS1000 grid power conversion system, a purpose-built 250-kilowatt, 800-volt direct current sidecar rectifier module developed for next-generation artificial intelligence data centre infrastructure. The A-Sample design finalization is a key engineering milestone, confirming the product architecture, form factor and performance specifications ahead of the prototype demonstration program planned to begin in June, 2026.

Purpose built for the 800-volt data centre sidecar architecture

The ZVS PCS1000 A-Sample has been designed in a 19-inch, four-rack unit form factor supporting both liquid cooling and forced air, targeting 250-kilowatt maximum continuous power output at 800-volt DC, with a modular architecture supporting scalability from 200 kilowatts to 1.2 megawatts or greater through parallel units. The design incorporates N+1 redundancy with 25-per-cent extra capacity and hot-swap capability intended to support 24-seven operational availability in mission-critical AI compute environments.

The ZVS PCS1000 is designed to align with the Open Compute Project Foundation 800-volt data centre sidecar power architecture, converting 400/480-volt AC grid power to 800-volt DC for direct distribution to IT racks at up to 1,500 amperes. The OCP sidecar power architecture is defined in the Mt. Diablo specification, published by the Open Compute Project in October, 2025 (source: Open Compute Project Foundation, "Realizing the Open Data Center Ecosystem Vision," Oct. 13, 2025).

The ZVS PCS1000 incorporates grid fault ride-through capability, enabling the power conversion system to remain electrically connected during short-duration voltage and frequency disturbances. Without FRT, such grid events can lead to cascading load disconnections and subsequent system instability. By integrating FRT, the ZVS PCS1000 helps stabilize grid behaviour by maintaining electrical coupling and ensuring smooth power transitions during transient conditions.

Competitive design positioning

The ZVS PCS1000 A-Sample design targets 200 to 250 kilowatts in a 19-inch form factor, which the company believes provides a high-power density solution with the potential to reduce the total number of modules required per sidecar deployment and lower overall system cost. The 800-volt data centre sidecar power market is an actively developing segment of the data centre power industry (sources: Nvidia Technical Blog, October, 2025; Schneider Electric Blog, October, 2025).

The PCS1000's performance targets are based on Hillcrest's proprietary zero voltage switching topology, which the company believes offers the following design advantages versus conventional hard-switched converters.

Efficiency

Hillcrest's ZVS topology eliminates switching losses by ensuring power transistors transition at zero voltage. The ZVS PCS1000 A-Sample design targets peak conversion efficiency exceeding 99 per cent compared with the 98 per cent typical of hard-switched designs. Hillcrest's ZVS technology has been independently validated through testing completed at facilities of global automotive original equipment manufacturers and suppliers. Those tests confirmed 99.7-per-cent peak inverter stage efficiency, with greater-than-99-per-cent efficiency maintained across 90 per cent of the full operating range -- results first publicly disclosed in the company's Dec. 16, 2024, news release. The PCS1000 is built on the same underlying ZVS platform validated in those tests.

EMI performance

Hillcrest's ZVS technology produces significantly lower dV/dt than hard-switched designs, as first publicly disclosed in the company's March 4, 2024, news release. Certified lab radiated EMI testing of the ZVS switching stage, conducted without any EMI filter in place, showed radiated emissions below applicable pass limits. These results demonstrate the intrinsic EMI advantage of the ZVS topology and are expected to reduce filter complexity and cost in the ZVS PCS1000 A-Sample design.

Thermal management

Lower switching losses are expected to reduce junction temperatures and thermal cycling in power semiconductors, supporting simplified cooling architecture and reduced thermal stress on power semiconductor components.

Switching frequency and passive component size

The ZVS PCS1000 design operates at 48 kilohertz -- approximately four times the practical ceiling of thermally limited hard-switched designs -- which is expected to reduce passive component size by up to 50 per cent and contribute to its power density in the 19-inch form factor.

June, 2026, prototype demonstration program

The ZVS PCS1000 prototype remains on track, with customer and partner demonstrations being scheduled starting in June, 2026, at Hillcrest's facility in Vancouver, B.C., and at Systematec GmbH's facility in Germany. The company is currently in active discussions with several parties across the data centre, energy storage and grid-connected applications markets regarding demonstration opportunities. There is no assurance that these discussions will result in commercial agreements.

Don Currie, chief executive officer and director of Hillcrest, added: "Finalizing the design of the ZVS PCS1000 A-Sample is a significant step in advancing the deployment of our ZVS technology across data centre and microgrid markets. Scheduled prototype demonstrations will give potential customers a first-hand look at what our ZVS platform delivers: superior efficiency, power quality and EMI performance that we believe conventional hard-switched designs cannot match. We are excited to showcase these capabilities and look forward to the opportunities ahead."

About Hillcrest Energy Technologies Ltd.

Hillcrest Energy Technologies is a Canadian clean technology company focused on developing and commercializing advanced power conversion technologies and digital control systems for next-generation powertrains and grid-connected energy systems. The company's proprietary zero voltage switching technology platform is being commercialized across multiple markets, including next-generation artificial intelligence data centres, microgrids and electric vehicle powertrains. From concept to commercialization, Hillcrest is investing in the development of energy solutions that will power a more sustainable and electrified future.

Hillcrest is publicly traded on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol HEAT, on the OTCQB Venture Market as HLRTF and on the Frankfurt exchange as 7HI.

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