Vicor 48 V direct-to-PoL power modules

Optimised for system loads (CPUs, GPUs, ASICs and DDR memory) requiring operating voltages below 1.25 V at load currents up to hundreds of amperes, Vicor’s 48 V direct-to-PoL (point-of-load) power modules enable power systems with high density and conversion efficiency.

Combining good power density, efficiency and thermal and electrical performance in a rugged, thin 13 x 23 mm ChiP, the modules are suitable for use in a broad range of 48 V power systems applications. By providing efficiencies from a 48 V bus that are better than 12 V legacy solutions, in a fraction of the space, the product families eliminate the trade-off between bus voltage and system efficiency and density, enabling system designers to implement distributed system solutions featuring high conversion efficiency, high power density and low distribution loss.

The product family comprises non-isolated buck-boost pre-regulator modules (PRMs) and voltage transformation modules (VTMs). When configured in a ‘factorised power architecture’, a PRM receives its input from a 48 V distributed bus and delivers a controlled, factorised voltage to the input of a VTM. The output voltage of the VTM is the factorised voltage multiplied by a fixed conversion ratio (K) and the output current of the VTM is 1/K times the VTM input current. Current multiplication at the point of load delivers high efficiency, density and bandwidth.