Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited unveiled its AOZ73016QI, a 16-phase, 2-rail controller specifically designed to the latest OpenVReg16 (OVR16) specifications from NVIDIA. The AOZ73016QI controller design is based on the company’s high-performance, proprietary AOS Advanced Transient Modulator (A2TM) control scheme. In addition to supporting all the basic requirements of the OVR16 specification, the new AOS controller offers value-added features such as RDS(on) and DCR sensing for current monitoring and current balance. These features enable AOS’ controller to support both DrMOS and Smart Power Stages (SPS) to deliver a complete AI server and graphic card power solution along with increased design flexibility.
The AOZ73016QI control scheme offers excellent current balance at all load conditions as well as during fast load transients, which is a critical requirement for power-hungry AI and graphics SoCs that demand over several thousands of amperes of peak current. It also capably handles phase doubling or tripling without the addition of a phase doubler so a single controller can support up to a 48-phase design. When paired with AOS’ high-performance DrMOS and SPS power stages utilizing AOS’ highly efficient and robust trench MOSFET, the AOS solution offers industry-leading efficiency and thermals saving several hundred watts of power during high transient current events that can last for a few 100s of microseconds and up to 1 millisecond when the SoC draws peak power. In a head-to-head comparison against a leading competitor product, each of the AOS’ 5 x 5 DrMOS power stages was shown to dissipate 14W lower power loss during these peak current events.
The AOZ73016QI supports an accurate RDS(on) sensing scheme, which uses power stage low side MOSFET RDS(on) sensing, thus enabling the use of low DCR inductors to help boost system efficiency. The device’s automatic phase management (APM) and auto discontinuous mode (DCM) power-saving features extend its usability to graphics cards and gaming laptops.
The AOZ73016QI offers full programmability via the PMBUS interface and is also AVS bus compliant. The device features digitally programmable voltage and current regulation loops minimizing the external components required to implement a solution. It supports electronic control system (ECS) programmability with the ability to update configuration in the field, and to pre-program up to six configuration settings with a pin-strap selection.
Technical Highlights includes: NVIDIA OpenVReg16 compliant; Up to 16-phase single output rail or N + M ≤ 16 phases dual output rails is configurable; Supports PWMVID, PMBus and is AVSBus compliant; Digital PWMVID architecture with differential remote sensing to achieve 0.5% regulated VOUT accuracy; User-friendly GUI for compensation and configuration with minimal external RC components; Supports multi-sourced industry-standard DrMOS and Smart Power Stage (SPS); ECS programmability with the ability to update configuration in the field; Supports Auto Phase Management (APM) and Discontinuous Mode (DCM) power-saving features; Proprietary, high-performance AOS A2TM control scheme; 200kHz to 1MHz programmable switching frequency; Hysteretic peak current mode control can vary frequency during transient for best-in-class response; Excellent dynamic phase current balance; Spread-spectrum Modulation (SSM); Output Under-Voltage Protection (UVP); Output Over-Voltage Protection (OVP); Over-Current Protection (OCP);Over-Temperature Protection (OTP); Over-Current Limit (OCL); QFN7x7-56L package;
The AOZ73016QI is immediately available in production quantities with a lead time of 12-16 weeks. The unit price for AOZ73016QI starts at $4.00 in 1,000-piece quantities.
