High power density 48V/12V bi-directional DC/DC converter

Dr Wei Tang, R&D Director of the DC-DC Converter Business Unit (DCBU), pointed out that the rapid pace of technology and internet development has dramatically changed our daily lives. According to a forecast in the CISCO 2020 Annual Internet Report*1, the development of 5G technology and onboard AI for e-vehicles is estimated to add 20-30 % to the annual growth rate of data centres during 2020-25.

In addition, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has boosted on-line activities for recreation, commerce, technology, and many industries in the global market. The resulting trends for social media platforms, online games and remote working/studying have greatly raised the need for highly efficient, reliable 24/7 operating data centres. Building more data centres means more power consumption, leading to higher demands for the power usage effectiveness (PUE) of facilities and devices.

Many suppliers are looking for high-efficiency, high power density solutions to facilitate equipment upgrades. For instance, data centres and high-voltage AI computing cards usually adopt 12V bus power output; however, the high DC power consumption and voltage drop affect the systems in a negative way. Manufacturers then turned to the use of 48V to solve the issues while most server PCBs remained 12V, making the power conversion and power supply even more complicated and difficult.

We are seeing a significant increase in the requirement for 48V/12V bi-directional DC converters, especially the AI computing cards. The U50SU4P162 converts 48V into the intermediate bus voltage required by the downstream voltage regulator. It can also convert 12V into 48V to power the downstream system so as to satisfy the needs of different power systems. Delta is using innovative technology to comprehensively develop new products (power modules) with strong capabilities and high scalability for new data centres. The U50SU4P162 is the key to bringing highly efficient, user-friendly, value-added power solutions to customers.

The U50SU4P162 DC-DC Converter provides 48V/12V bi-directional conversion, 800 W output power and 1 MHz switching frequency. The ultra-high power density allows the U50SU4P162 to achieve 98 % power conversion efficiency. The ability to handle large load capacitance (up to 10,000 µF) and double-sided heat sink with low thermal resistance also helps to ensure high-performance computing for high-density data centres.

Another highlighted feature of the U50SU4P162 is the PMBus (power management bus) protocol. It allows the converter to transmit power data to system controllers for efficient monitoring and management. Delta is also outpacing others by offering customisation services for power configuration and optional heat sinks to help customers build advanced systems.

With advanced functions, high power density, small footprint, and customisability, the U50SU4P162 ensures the high efficiency of data centres, supercomputers, and other high-tech systems.

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