Vicor delivers direct 48-V-to-processor, Intel x86-compliant power converter

Date
07/30/2012

 PDF
Enables 30% reduction in power conversion loss per processor in datacenter and telecom applications

click image to enlarge

The Factorized Power architecture from Vicor provides direct 48-V-to-processor power conversion and provides significant efficiency improvement over traditional two-stage designs.

Vicor has announced its direct 48-V-to-processor power converter for the datacenter, cloud computing, and telecom markets. Vicor's Factorized Power architecture complies with Intel's x86 VR12.0 voltage regulation specification. The company's current multiplication from 48 V directly to a 1-V microprocessor load enables more efficient power distribution and eliminates duplicate conversion stages found in traditional 48 V to 12 V to 1 V power systems, yielding more than 5% greater overall efficiency in a package size that's 1/3 the size of competing offerings. With increasing demands on datacenter and cloud computing infrastructure, efficient power management is a growing concern. Electricity costs can account for up to 50% of annual datacenter operating expenses. The 5% efficiency gain enabled by Vicor's Intel compliant power architecture can reduce per-processor power loss by 10W - or 30% - which can yield annual datacenter electricity savings of approximately $500,000 across 30,000 onsite processors. Vicor's VI-Chip PRM non-isolated regulator and VTM current multiplier deliver the most efficient 48 V direct-to-load power conversion for datacenter and telecom applications. Vicor's FPA (factorized power architecture) separates, or factorizes, regulation and voltage transformation functions into flexible, high performance building blocks, reducing distribution and interconnect losses and eliminating bulk capacitance with greater than 1MHz response speed. The significant size reduction also allows placement of the power converter components closer to the processor than do traditional two-stage designs. This is one contributor to the improvement in board-distribution power efficiency, which the Factorized Power architecture increases from 96% (typ) to 99% (typ). "With direct 48-V-to-processor current multiplication, Vicor is enabling datacenter and telecom equipment designers to achieve gains in energy efficiency," said Stephen Oliver, VP of VI Chip product line, Vicor. "For datacenter and telecom facility operators, the cumulative reduction in energy usage, electricity expenses, and CO2 emissions enabled by our technology can be significant." Vicor

RELATED

 


-->