Intersil is offering what it claims is the industry's most advanced digital multiphase power (DMP) control ICs and development platform. These ISL6590 and ISL6580 digital multiphase power ICs are designed to meet the strict power demands of new and future-generation multiGHz CPUs that operate at very low voltage and high current. Intersil says the initial application for this advanced technology is for high-end servers, especially those of the 1U form factor, but will soon broaden to other servers and workstations.
"Digital multiphase is a revolutionary development in power conversion technology," said Cindy Drapcho, vice president of Intersil's Desktop and Server Power Products. "It offers the advantages of digital control with optimally partitioned power stages results in the highest-performing power solution for leading-edge CPUs."
Driving this advanced digital power technology development is the following: microprocessors have core voltages now at 1,5 V but moving toward 0,5 V; regulation tolerances now at ±25 mV are moving toward less than ±15 mV; core static currents now at 70 A are heading toward 200+ A; transient current now around 100 A/µs is moving toward 500 A/µs; and today's 2+ GHz clock speeds are moving toward 15+ GHz.
As CPU core voltage continues to decrease, with commensurate increases in current, designers are faced with increasing power control challenges. One is to control point-of-load core supply voltage variations - often referred to as overshoots, undershoots, droop and noise. The lower the core voltage, the more serious this problem. It means that power control systems have to provide extreme accuracy and stability.
Related to voltage stability is the ability of the power control system to deliver high current on demand as microprocessors change states. The two primary control modes are: staggered-phase for steady-state operation; and in-phase, also known as active transient response (ATR) mode, to meet transient-state current demand. Digital control enables instant event-based mode change, a flexibility not available in the analog world.
Intersil's multiphase power solution is a fully programmable architecture accessed via its 'Primarion PowerCode' interface, a user-friendly software tool that enables the designer to change the personality of the ISL6590 digital controller IC to meet requirements of the CPU and application. Unlike a fixed ASIC solution that quickly stagnates, this solution can be optimised for parameters such as loop response, number of phases, phase frequency, input voltage, maximum load and passive filter component characteristics. The software also enables diagnosis of system performance. A Digital Multiphase Power Control Evaluation and Development Kit is available.
For more information contact Arrow Altech Distribution, 011 923 9600, EBV-Electrolink, 021 419 6256, Memec SA, 011 897 8600.
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