First 48V integrated hot-swap eFuse with power-path protection
Texas Instruments (TI) has launched several power-management chips for datacentre designs, including the first 48V device with integrated eFuse.
An gallium nitride (GaN) power stage also combines TI GaN and a high-performance gate driver with advanced protection features in an industry-standard transistor outline leadless (TOLL) package.
As the adoption of high-performance computing and artificial intelligence (AI) increases, datacentres require more power-dense and efficient solutions.
The TPS1685 is the first 48V device with an integrated hot-swap eFuse with power-path protection. The 48V stackable device is aimed at power requirements over 6kW
The integration of the eFuse and protection mechanisms such as integrated black box for fault logging, a guaranteed FET safe operating area, active current sharing and health monitoring all simplify designs and reduce the size by half compared to existing hot-swap controllers.
- eFuse protects DDR5 DRAM in edge AI
- First 240V resettable surface mount fuse
- Hot swap controller for AI servers
One of the differentiating features of the TPS1689 is the blanking timer, which prevents false tripping by enabling the system to distinguish between peak load currents and actual fault conditions.
This enables short transient overloads to pass through without triggering a circuit breaker, ensuring that temporary, high-amplitude load pulses common in AI, GPU and processor-intensive applications do not disrupt the system. However, the eFuse promptly shuts down the circuit during sustained overcurrent events.
The blanking timer minimizes the need for oversized power-supply units (PSUs) and reduces the number of eFuses required in parallel configurations. This significantly lowers bill-of-materials costs while maintaining reliable operation.
The device also supports stacking capabilities for increased current handling, allowing multiple devices to work together in high-power applications.
“With datacentres increasingly demanding more energy, powering the world’s digital infrastructure begins with smarter, more efficient semiconductors,” said Robert Taylor, general manager, Industrial Power Design Services. “While advanced chips drive AI’s computational power, analog semiconductors are key to maximizing energy efficiency. Our latest power-management innovations are enabling data centers to reduce their environmental footprint while supporting the growing needs of our digital world.”
The LMG3650R035, LMG3650R070 and LMG3650R025 integrated GaN transistor and gate driver use an industry-standard TOLL package, allowing designers to take advantage of TI GaN efficiency without costly and time-consuming redesigns.
The power stages integrate a high-performance gate driver with a 650V GaN field-effect transistor (FET) while achieving high efficiency (>98%) and high-power density (>100W/in3). They also integrate protection features including over-current protection, short-circuit protection and over-temperature protection. This is especially important for AC-DC server power supplies that need to push more power into smaller spaces.
Dell Technology is using the integrated GaN gate drivers for a 12V, 1.8kW server power-supply unit (PSU), while Vertiv is using TI GaN for a 5.5kW server PSU that scales up to provides 132kW per rack.
Preproduction quantities of the TPS1685, LMG3650R035, LMG3650R070 and LMG3650R025 are available now.
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