Stackable DC/DC buck converter maximizes power density in high-current FPGA and processor power supplies

05/05/2020

Texas Instruments (TI) introduced a new 40-A SWIFTTM DC/DC buck converter, offering first-of-its-kind stackability of up to four integrated circuits (ICs). The TPS546D24A PMBus buck converter can deliver up to 160 A of output current at an 85°C ambient temperature – four times more current than competing power ICs. The TPS546D24A has the highest efficiency of any 40-A DC/DC converter, allowing engineers to reduce power loss by 1.5 W in high-performance data center and enterprise computing, medical, wireless infrastructure, and wired networking applications.

Solution size and thermal performance are two key considerations for engineers designing power supplies for modern field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). With its unique stackability, the TPS546D24A buck converter addresses both. It comes with a PMBus interface that offers a selectable internal compensation network, enabling engineers to eliminate as many as six external compensation components from the board and shrink the overall power-supply solution size by more than 10% (or 130 mm2) for higher-current FPGA/application-specific ICs (ASICs) when compared to discrete multiphase controllers.

In addition, the TPS546D24A achieves a low thermal resistance of 8.1°C per watt and runs 13°C cooler than competing DC/DC converters, improving reliability in electronics that operate in hot, harsh environments, such as baseband units and automated test equipment.

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