Advances in Packaging Crucial to Powering Next Generation Processors [From the Editor]

Over the years, with advances in semiconductor processing, microprocessors have become more powerful and consume much more power as voltages dropped. Concurrently, power supplies designed to power these devices got more sophisticated, delivering more power at high efficiency from a smaller package with faster transient response and minimal noise and EMI. Aside from improvements in topology, circuit design, including magnetics, advances in packaging played a crucial role in building power supplies for next generation processors. Today, powerful artificial intelligence (AI) processors with billions of transistors on-chip, and offering tera floating point operations per second, are capable of handling more than 1000 A at voltages below 1 V. Powering these new generation processors requires power supplies that can be placed as close as possible to the processor to minimize parasitics while capable of handling thermal challenges.