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Income Taxes - Schedule of Reconciliation of Statutory Federal Income Tax Rate to Effective Income Tax Rate (Detail)	12 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2015	Mar. 31, 2014	Mar. 31, 2013
Income Taxes [Abstract]
Statutory federal income tax rate	(34.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate	(34.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate	(34.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationAtFederalStatutoryIncomeTaxRate
State income taxes, net of federal benefit	2.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes		(3.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationStateAndLocalIncomeTaxes
Deemed dividend	1.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationDeductionsDividends	1.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationDeductionsDividends	2.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationDeductionsDividends
Foreign income tax rate differential	6.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationForeignIncomeTaxRateDifferential	(6.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationForeignIncomeTaxRateDifferential	(2.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationForeignIncomeTaxRateDifferential
Stock options	1.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseShareBasedCompensationCost	2.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseShareBasedCompensationCost	(2.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseShareBasedCompensationCost
Nondeductible expenses	1.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpense	1.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpense	1.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpense
Research and development tax credit			(1.00%)us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationNondeductibleExpenseResearchAndDevelopment
Deferred Warrants	(3.00%)amsc_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationDeferredWarrants	(1.00%)amsc_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationDeferredWarrants
Interest expense		5.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherAdjustments	7.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationOtherAdjustments
Extinguishment of debt		3.00%amsc_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationDebtExtinguishment
Reversal of uncertain tax benefits	(6.00%)amsc_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationReversalOfUncertainTaxBenefits
Valuation allowance	32.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationChangeInDeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance	30.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationChangeInDeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance	32.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateReconciliationChangeInDeferredTaxAssetsValuationAllowance
Effective income tax rate		1.00%us-gaap_EffectiveIncomeTaxRateContinuingOperations

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Effective income tax rate reconciliation debt extinguishment

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Effective income tax rate reconciliation deferred warrants

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Effective income tax rate reconciliation reversal of uncertain tax benefits.

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Percentage of current income tax expense (benefit) and deferred income tax expense (benefit) pertaining to continuing operations.

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