Impact Of High-Performance Computing Technology On Power Conversion

Focus:

This article traces the development of power system architectures for computing systems, detailing the influence of microprocessor development and other application trends on power conversion requirements. The discussion ranges from the Cray supercomputer and the first PCs up through the development of blade servers and modern PCs. The introduction of the VRM, distributed power architectures (including the intermediate bus architecture), and distrinctions in power systems developed by telecom and computing groups, 380-V dc power distribution in the data center, and active hardware power management are among the power-related developments discussed. The evolution of CPU power requirements in terms of voltage, current, power, di/dt, and voltage deviation is discussed. The discussion surrounding microprocessor development is supported with a graph plotting the rise in microprocessor transistor counts from 1971 to 2011.

What you’ll learn:

• How to understand the historical factors and trends that have influenced the development of voltage regulators and power system architectures for computing and telecom applications

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Author & Publication:

Paul Greenland, MagnaChip, Cupertino, Calif., How2Power Today, Dec 20 2012

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