A Advanced Zero Point Module, often abbreviated AZPM, is a enhanced power source built by the Ancients. Utilizing Zero point energy, it is the cleanest energy source in the known universe. It is a very advanced piece of technology; without a doubt one of the Ancients' most brilliant inventions. The AZPM is just like a ZPM except that it has more power output and lasts longer. AZPMs power the Advanced City-ship‎ and can even power the City-ship as well.

Overview

Advanced Zero Point Modules are the same size as that of a normal ZPM. The devices glow yellow when active, and are a dark shade of orange red when inert. A Advanced ZPM houses a pocket of subspace-time known as the quantum foam (subatomic wormholes constantly opening and closing and fading in and out of subspace). Zero point energy is extracted from this pocket until it reaches maximum entropy, at which point the pocket collapses, leaving behind a useless shell. Unlike most regular ZPMs, the Advanced ZPM can last longer and provide far more power than a normal ZPM.

The life of a regular ZPM is directly proportional to the power demands placed on it, but is still capable of lasting for remarkable periods of time even under the most extreme conditions. The power generated by three of them (sequentially rotated every 3.3 thousand years) enabled Atlantis' shield to survive the pressure of several hundred feet of ocean for 10,000 years, though the rest of the city had been powered down to maximize output. However, as a Advanced ZPM is far more redundant and has the ability to handle a lot more than a normal ZPM, the Advanced ZPMs can therefore surpass that of a normal one and can on average provide a power output of 700-900 terra watts of power. So based on atmospheric pressure calculations and the shield's surface area, derived from approximate Atlantis dimensions, these ZPM's are each capable of functioning at an output of between 900-1,000 terawatts for a duration of about 7800 years. A single advanced ZPM, at nearly full power, can provide enough energy to resist constant bombardment by Wraith Hive ships indefinitely. A Advanced ZPM is different however from a normal ZPM because it has a greater power output and it lasts much longer than average Zero Point Modules.

Like many types of Ancient technology, the Advanced Zero Point Modules are crystal-based. The crystals that compose the shell of the ZPM are similar in many ways to the crystals adapted by the Goa'uld and Tok'ra: red crystals contain the necessary programs to allow ZPMs to provide power to Ancient technology when a ZPM is interfaced with a conduit, while yellow crystals act as a buffer to prevent catastrophic overload (there are also green colored crystals on ZPM's, but it is unclear if they have any specific purpose or function). The crystals of a ZPM are virtually indestructible and can remain functional for hundreds of thousands of years. The Advanced ZPMs can last even longer as they have more power and have extreme redundancy when under constant strain.