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Intersil Validates Power Solutions for New IBM PowerPC® 970FX Processor
-- Intersil Endura™ ISL6563 two-phase PWM controller with integrated MOSFET drivers provides core power solution, reducing complexity and costs~-- Choice of either ISL6520 or EL7564 provide flexible processor I/O power options
MILPITAS, CA, March 31, 2004 Intersil Corporation (NASDAQ: ISIL), a world leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog solutions, today announced that its integrated two-phase power solution has been validated as Ready for IBM Technology and suitable for powering IBMs new PowerPC 970FX processor.
During product development, Intersil engineers worked with IBM to understand PowerPC 970FX power requirements. This resulted in the validation of Intersils Endura ISL6563 two-phase PWM controller solution under IBMs Ready for IBM Technology program. The ISL6563 PWM controller with integrated MOSFET drivers is used to supply core power and the designer can choose between the ISL6520 or EL7564 to power the processors input/output (I/O).
The new PowerPC 970FX offers a new level of superior performance for high-end PCs, servers and embedded systems, said Rick Furtney, Vice President and General Manager of Intersils High Performance Analog Product Group. This processor demands very robust and precise power control, requirements for which Intersil is known throughout the PC industry. Our close working relationship with IBM was critical for defining high performance power solutions for this latest generation of PowerPC microprocessors.
Intersils power solutions for PowerPC platforms are designed to provide precise and reliable performance while offering very high levels of integration that reduce parts count, lower materials and manufacturing costs and deliver the industrys highest performance-to-price value.
We are pleased to have validated Intersils power solutions for the new generation of PowerPC 970FX microprocessors, said Ray Bryant, Director of PowerPC Products, IBM Systems & Technology Group. Intersils core and I/O power control can benefit our customers by providing effective power solutions. IBMs Ready for IBM Technology program can help reduce customers time to market by providing solutions that have already been verified.
Intersils core voltage power solution for the PowerPC 970FX is based on the new Endura ISL6563 two-phase synchronous-buck pulse-width modulation (PWM) power controller IC that has integrated MOSFET drivers. This specific solution is designed to supply up to 80 A of peak current and has been tested and validated to provide less than the +/-50-mV variation specification for the 1.2-V core voltage over a 0- to 40-W load. Actual tests have shown that this solution typically delivers a significantly better variance (+/-27 mV), well below specification limits. Intersil offers a wide range of solutions for all families of PowerPC microprocessors, including those requiring as little as 0.5A.
The ISL6563 provides a compact and low-cost power design that exceeds IBM requirements for powering the new PowerPC 970FX processor, said Cindy Drapcho, Vice President of Intersils Power Management Products. With both controller and MOSFET drivers integrated together in a near-chip-scale 4 X 4 mm package along with protection and other features, we have secured significant cost and space savings for PowerPC platform designers.
The I/O power supply is implemented using either Intersils ISL6520, which uses external MOSFETs, or the EL7564, which has integrated MOSFETs. The ISL6520 solution allows for more design flexibility and lower cost, while the EL7564 offers small size and ease of use.
Complete evaluation boards, reference designs, bill-of-materials and product documentation for the ISL6563, ISL6520 and EL7564 are available to reduce implementation costs and time to market. Additional information on these solutions is accessible from Intersils PowerPC solutions landing page at: http://www.intersil.com/IBMPowerPC/RFIT/ISL6563for970/ Intersils power management solutions for other IBM PowerPC families are described at: http://www.intersil.com/IBMPowerPC About Intersil
Intersil Corporation, a NASDAQ 100 Index company, is a leader in the design and manufacture of high performance analog semiconductors. The company’s products address three of the industry’s fastest growing markets: flat panel displays, optical storage (CD and DVD recordable) and power management. Intersil products include power management devices for battery management, hot-swap and hot-plug controllers, linear regulators, supervisory ICs, switching DC-DC regulators and power MOSFET drivers; optical storage laser diode drivers; DSL line drivers; video and high performance operational amplifiers; data converters; interface ICs; analog switches and multiplexers; crosspoint switches; voice-over-IP devices; and ICs for military, space and rad-hard applications. For more information about Intersil or to find out how to become a member of our winning team, visit the company’s web site and career page at www.intersil.com.
This release may include "forward looking statements" that are subject to risks and uncertainties. For information identifying economic, political, climatic, currency, regulatory, technological, competitive and some other important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in the forward looking statements, see Intersil’s Safe Harbor Forward Looking Statement disclaimer found at http://www.intersil.com/legal.asp, as well as Intersil’s SEC filings as updated from time to time, found at http://www.sec.gov. Intersil and Endura are trademarks of Intersil Americas Inc.
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