TI's power-management and protection IC delivers accurate monitoring for Intel-Node-Manager-capable platforms

Texas Instruments has introduced a new server monitoring, protection, and control IC with on-chip PMBus support. The LM25066IA is fully compliant to Intel Node Manager 2.0 and provides server designers with system power management and protection that interfaces directly with the Intel management engine. The LM25066IA delivers 1% current-measurement accuracy and 2% power-measurement accuracy over the server operating temperature range, enabling these dynamic server platforms to implement power capping schemes that minimize operating expense and improve reliability in data centers. TI's LM25066IA integrates high-performance monitoring, protection, and control blocks that precisely control and manage the electrical operating conditions of each blade in the chassis. It continuously supplies the system-management host or management-engine device with real-time power, voltage, current, temperature, and fault data for each blade subsystem. The parametric and fault data is delivered through the SMBus communications interface using the industry-standard PMBus protocol. The host's system-diagnostic and -optimization routines use the data to limit the power to each blade subsystem, or node. Using this scheme, data-center operators are able to minimize the overall power consumption of the server equipment while increasing system reliability by keeping the servers operating within their optimal operating power range. TI also offers the LM25066I that delivers 2.4% current-measurement accuracy and 3% power-measurement accuracy. Key features and benefits

• Power limiting allows the use of smaller, less expensive FETs while maintaining reliability.
• 1% current- and 2% power-measurement accuracy—up to three times more accurate power-consumption data versus competitive products.
• Simultaneous sampling of voltage and current allows measurement of true real-time power consumption under widely varying load conditions.
• Energy accumulator reports total power consumed over a programmable time period. Packaging, pricing, and availability The LM25066IA and LM25066I are available in 4 x 5-mm, 24-lead LLP packages and are priced at US$2.95 and US$2.45 respectively, in 1,000-unit quantities. The LM25066IA and LM25066I are sampling now with full production volumes scheduled for October 2012. Texas Instruments LM25066IA product deeplink