Renesas Electronics chipset for CPU power supplies

Renesas Electronics Corporation has announced a chipset implementing the voltage regulator (VR) for CPU power supplies used in PCs, servers and storage systems. It comprises the R2A30521NP, a VR controller that integrates a microcontroller (MCU)-based digital interface, and the R2J20759NP, a pulse width modulation (PWM)-Driver-MOSFET device (DrMOS) with an integrated current detection circuit.

Renesas intends to supply the chipset as a system solution that enables power supply systems conforming to VR12.0, VR12.5 and the latest VR12.6 VR standards from Intel to achieve greater power density, better power efficiency and more precise operation.

The VR 12 solution is for MCU, analog and discrete power device technologies. The solution is a digital-analog hybrid system that combines the flexibility of MCUs with the stability of analog circuits to achieve precise high-speed control at a low level of current consumption.

Key features include: approx 40% smaller board area compared to existing Renesas designs. In contrast to conventional technologies that use inductor current to measure output voltage, Renesas’s system uses an intelligent power device, R2J20759NP, which has its own built-in current detection circuit, eliminating the need for current detection lines on the board or filters to reduce noise. In addition, the R2J20759NP has a compact QFN40 package and can supply up to 40 A per phase; low current for extended battery life in connected-standby mode; support for scalable power supplies with a variety of configurations.

In addition, the system has far greater noise tolerance because it requires no external lines for current detection. Two-stage settings - independent in hardware and software - are supported for protection functions essential to a power supply system, such as overcurrent.

The VR controller R2A30521NP uses a serial interface to exchange power or system status information with the CPU or other high-level system, and based on this information, it uses a dedicated clock for switching the operating mode. This ensures that the operating mode is always optimal for the power device.