Distributed Vertical Power Delivery for High-Performance Computing Systems

#computing

Distributed Vertical Power Delivery for High-Performance Computing Systems

High-performance computing plays a key role in supporting the advancement of modern and emerging high-power applications. With the advent of 2.5D and 3D packaging solutions, systems that consume tens of kilowatts of power become viable. Considering the high current and power density requirements in these systems, the path forward with traditional power delivery approaches is, however, unsustainable with respect to energy efficiency and thermal challenges. In response to these challenges, vertical power delivery has emerged as a promising solution to address the unprecedented power loss encountered in high-performance computing systems at the package level. With this approach, high-power is distributed through package-level networks at a low current and converted with power-efficient converters in close horizontal proximity to the functional dies/chiplets. As a result, the distribution of high-current power is limited to short vertical interconnect between the converters and points-of-load, mitigating power loss and thermal challenges. While vertical power delivery is a promising approach to manage high-current high-density power, how to distribute the active and passive power converter components around the periphery and on the backside of functional dies/chiplets and how to efficiently convert power within limited footprint near points-of-load are topics of active research. Package-to-die power delivery architectures and design methodologies, power circuits for efficient power conversion, and vertically-stacked, highly dense and efficient passive components is the key for enabling high-performance computing. This talk will explore these issues in detail and investigate possible ways to mitigate the existing power delivery challenges in the context of high-performance computing.