Corsair's AX1600i SHIFT plans on being the ultimate flagship PSU when it launches

If you're powering a high-end enthusiast-class gaming or even AI-focused rig, there are a number of power supply options out there right now with 1600W capacities, with one of them being Corsair's AX1600i. The only problem is that Corsair's flagship 1600W PSU is now a decade old, so it was definitely time for a refresh.

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At Computex 2026, the company showcased exactly that with the new Corsair AX1600i SHIFT, a beast of a PSU that took several years of engineering and development to realize and aims to be the very best 1600W PSU available. Naturally, as a 2026 power supply, it supports the newer ATX 3.1 and PCIe 5.1 standards; however, there's a lot more to the design than just bringing the spec sheet up to date and adding a pair of native 12V-2x6 connections that could power two GeForce RTX 5090s.

One of the main reasons it took Corsair a little longer to deliver its compact AX1600i follow-up and the AX1600i SHIFT is that they only measure 170 mm long (30 mm shorter than the previous version), which meant investing in cutting-edge Gallium Nitride transistors so they could comfortably fit in a mid-tower case. And as a modern PSU built for the DIY-friendly era, all of the connections are now side-mounted for easy access.

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And as the old saying goes, "with great power comes great responsibility." The Corsair AX1600i SHIFT offers comprehensive monitoring and control, including monitoring the 12V-2x6 pins and power delivery, as well as the ability to switch between 12V single-rail OCP (over-current protection) and 12V multi-rail OCP. During our time with Corsair at the show, we were told that, in terms of PSU noise output and overall size, it'll be a market leader in both categories when it launches later this year. Which kind of makes it sound like there's a new 1600W PSU king in town.