High-speed designs use digital components with very fast edge rates in their output signals which can be subjected to significant distortion and degradation creating high bit-error-rates and lower data throughput.  Insertion and reflection losses, crosstalk and impedance mismatch, are all factors, amongst others, influencing the integrity of a transmitted signal.

Empower’s E-CAP silicon capacitors provide wide bandwidth low impedance highly stable decoupling capacitors capable of being placed close and even integrated into an SoC substrate.

Empower Semiconductor is developing power management solutions enabling full unrestricted speed and performance of the latest xPUs.

  • High power density
  • High bandwidth conversion
  • Low power distribution losses
  • Vertical Power

The ability to process data and perform complex calculations at high speeds has been intensified in recent years by leaps in technologies such as artificial intelligence, 3-D imaging and autonomous driving. These technologies have exacerbated the need for faster and more complex processors and architectures.

Equipment designed to operate within a high magnetic field environment can experience power failures or abnormal operating conditions due to the force the magnetic field imposes on ferromagnetic material-based electronics.

Moreover, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices can record false or distorted images due to the inferences from such electronics. Empower’s IVRs regulators use non-ferromagnetic air-core inductors ideal for operating in harsh magnetic environments.

Data being communicated and processed around the globe is rapidly growing, driving the need for a new generation of faster data processing components and elements in data centers and datacom equipment.

Empower Semiconductor offers novel fully integrated power management solutions that both increase performance and solve the power density challenge of space-constrained data-intensive applications.

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System-on-Modules (SOMs) and Computer-on-Modules (CoMs) provide all components of an embedded processing system (processors, communication interfaces, memory blocks, power management, etc.) on a single production-ready printed circuit board (PCB). This modular approach makes them ideal for embedding into a variety of end systems and applications.Empower’s IVRs provide high-density configurable multi-rails regulators enabling rapid and flexible prototyping.

Chiplet architectures are rapidly gaining popularity over monolithic designs in developing complex SoCs. While providing increased performance, design flexibility and upgradability, they do, however, require more complex power management and PCB routing.

Empower’s IVRs can be integrated as an additional chiplet into an SoC increasing the power delivery efficiency and simplifying PCB routing.

Empower Semiconductor to Showcase Innovation in Integrated Voltage Regulator and Silicon Capacitor Technologies at TSMC 2022 NA Technology Symposium

Jun 8, 2022 | Press Release

Mission to reduce the energy footprint of the digital economy built on completely new approach to power management

San Jose, Calif., June 8th, 2022: Empower Semiconductor, Inc. the world leader in integrated voltage regulators (IVRs) and silicon capacitors has announced that it will be participating at TSMC’s 2022 NA Technology Symposium at the Santa Clara Convention Center on June 16th, 2022. The annual event is by invitation for a select group of valued customers to showcase their products and collaboration with TSMC.

Empower uses TSMC’s advanced CMOS processes to deliver the industry’s smallest, fastest, most energy efficient and most integrated power management ICs and its high-performance E-CAP™ family of silicon capacitors. At the TSMC North America Technology Symposium the company will highlight these technologies and how they improve power management efficiency through speed, power density and simplicity.

As well as exhibiting on-site during the TSMC event, Empower’s CTO and SVP of Engineering, Trey Roessig, will deliver a presentation on the topic of “Minimizing the Energy Footprint of the Digital Economy with High Bandwidth IVRs.” This presentation will look at the challenges facing next-generation power management designs and how Empower solutions built on TSMC processes are helping to address those challenges.

“Our partnership with TSMC has been integral to our success in delivering the world’s smallest, fastest and most integrated voltage regulators,” says Tim Phillips, Empower’s CEO. “Being able to move voltages and currents up to 1,000x faster than the competition is a direct result of Empower’s high-frequency switching and power management control IP being developed to utilize the key features and benefits of TSMC deep submicron CMOS platforms. Empower and TSMC customers are benefiting greatly from the combination of these two advanced technologies.”

Empower’s IVRs are high-performance power management chips designed to provide efficiency, size, and cost benefits to energy-hungry, data-intensive, electronics applications by replacing traditional power management integrated circuits (PMICs) with a single tiny IC. IVRs monolithically integrate the voltage regulator semiconductor and all of the necessary discrete components into a single device. Such integration simplifies the design and implementation of voltage regulation circuitry, improves efficiency by eliminating connection losses, reduces susceptibility to EMI, minimizes the bill of materials, enhances overall reliability and reduces PCB footprint.

Providing the world’s thinnest, most compact and most flexible capacitor solution, Empower E-CAP is a compact, high-performance, configurable silicon-based alternative to multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs). E-CAP devices offer a capacitance density that is over five times that of leading MLCCs with improved equivalent series inductance (ESL) and equivalent series resistance (ESR) characteristics that dramatically reduce parasitics.

The TSMC North America Technology Symposium takes place on 16th June 2022. More information can be found here: https://www.tsmc.com/static/english/campaign/Symposium2022/index.htm

About Empower Semiconductor

The exponential increase in the amount of data being communicated and processed around the globe is driving the energy consumption of data centers and communications networks to 17% of total electricity demand worldwide by 2030(1), dramatically increasing pollution, carbon emissions and cost.  Empower Semiconductor was founded with the mission to “minimize the energy footprint of the digital economy” by developing novel fully integrated power management solutions that both increase the performance and reduce the power consumption of energy-hungry, data-intensive applications. 

Traditional power solutions require dozens of discrete components with big footprints, complex designs and deliver power inefficiently with poor response times and inaccuracies. Empower Semiconductor’s patented IVR technology integrates dozens of components into a single IC increasing efficiency, shrinking footprints by 10x and delivering power with unprecedented simplicity, speed & accuracy and with zero discrete components. The Empower IVR™ technology solves the power density challenge to address a wide range of applications including mobile, wearables, 5G, AI, and data centers. In 2020 the capacitor technology platform was added to further address power density. E-CAP revolutionized the capacitor industry as the world’s smallest, highest performing, and incredibly reliable capacitor for wearables, mobile, and SoC applications. The company is based in Silicon Valley, CA and is led by a team of highly experienced power experts and executives.

About TSMC

TSMC pioneered the pure-play foundry business model when it was founded in 1987 and has been the world’s leading dedicated semiconductor foundry ever since. The Company supports a thriving ecosystem of global customers and partners with the industry’s leading process technologies and portfolio of design enablement solutions to unleash innovation for the global semiconductor industry. With global operations spanning Asia, Europe, and North America, TSMC serves as a committed corporate citizen around the world.
 
TSMC deployed 281 distinct process technologies and manufactured 11,617 products for 510 customers in 2020 by providing broadest range of advanced, specialty and advanced packaging technology services. TSMC is the first foundry to provide 5-nanometer production capabilities, the most advanced semiconductor process technology available in the world. The Company is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan.

Empower Semiconductor and the Empower logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Empower Semiconductor, Inc. All other brands, product names and marks are or may be trademarks or registered trademarks used to identify products or services of their respective owners.