Power alliance anticipates increase in 48V demand

The 48V direct conversion DC/DC modules - or power stamps - target high-performance computers and servers in large data centres. The introduction of a standard product footprint is expected to encourage a multi-vendor ecosystem for alternative sources for server and storage system manufacturers. At the same time, the Alliance encourages a competitive supply chain through differentiation in topologies and circuitry from multiple manufacturers.

The first processor architectures addressed by the Power Stamp Alliance (PSA) include the Intel VR13 Skylake CPUs, Intel VR13-HC Ice Lake CPUs, DDR4 memories, IBM POWER9 (P9) processors and high-current ASIC and/or FPGA chipsets supporting the Serial Voltage IDentification (SVID) or Adaptive Voltage Scaling (AVS) protocols. The size and powertrain footprint of the main and satellite power stamps are the same, simplifying the design process for OEMs. The footprint has a designated pin-out but not a common bill of materials, to differentiate products without incurring additional costs.

Benefits include a scalable board-mount module that can save space and increase efficiency by eliminating, for example a quarter brick module, saving space with a discrete solution. As the power demands of processor and memory devices increases, the PSA specification provides a scalable solution that can be used in tandem with existing power-conversion devices.

The PSA has published specifications, drawings and pin-out descriptions for main and satellite power stamps at its website: http://www.powerstamp.org/specifications/.