Vicor Unveiling Factorized Power For IBM, Leading Computers

Vicor Corp. announced its exhibition of large scale Factorized Power™ systems to be used in IBM® next generation high performance computing platforms.

Vicor states that V-I Chip™ modules have broken records of power density, efficiency and transient response speed, with current density exceeding 110A per square inch. V-I Chips enable Factorized Power Architecture™ (FPA™) which offers what is described as unprecedented power system design flexibility. By supporting current multiplication down to 1V from efficient 48V power distribution and regulation lines, FPA meets the advanced requirements of high end computing and data centers with savings in space and consumption of electricity. By enabling scalable power system development, FPA supports faster time to market and higher performance for leading original equipment manufacturers seeking competitive advantages.

"Vicor seeks to be the ’power behind the green’," says Steve Oliver, VP of Marketing and Sales for V-I Chip. "Leveraging V-I Chips, a typical data center can save 2,700 tons of CO2, 2,500 barrels of oil and $600,000 in electricity per year. IBM’s POWER6® supercomputers holding three of the top 10 positions on the TOP500 list (TFLOPS), as well as its Blue Gene®/P supercomputers holding five of the top 10 positions on the Green500 list (MFLOPS/Watt), are powered by V-I Chips. IBM’s next generation of POWER® processor based systems expands use of V-I Chips with its Factorized Power system architecture. Fault tolerant V™s™ are mounted directly underneath the processor and memory arrays to provide fast, efficient current multiplication at the Point of Load, while remotely-located PRM™ regulators provide efficient power delivery at low current, minimizing system interconnect and distribution losses."