White Paper: Advancing Vertical Power Delivery

As modern compute silicon continues to scale in power density—driven by AI training clusters, high-performance computing (HPC) accelerators, and next-generation data center processors—the current required to power a single chip has grown from tens of amps to over 1000A, while core operating voltages have remained flat or even decreased.

This divergence between rising current and stagnant voltage has placed unprecedented stress on power delivery networks (PDNs), where resistive losses scale quadratically with current according to P = I²R. This white paper presents Vertical Power Delivery (VPD), an architectural approach that repositions voltage regulator modules (VRMs) directly beneath the chip rather than around its periphery, substantially shortening the current path and reducing parasitic impedance. We detail the fundamental principles of VPD, present advanced interconnect and PCB innovations that further minimize path impedance—including high-density via arrays, and PCB cavity embedding—and validate these techniques through both simulation (Celsius DC thermal-electrical co-simulation) and physical measurement using load-pull test fixtures. Simulation and physical measurement results demonstrate that VPD combined with PCB cavity technology reduces transmission impedance to 20–23.4 μΩ (measured and simulated, respectively), yielding a 37.1% reduction in transmission power loss compared to conventional non-cavity designs. As chip power continues to climb, we outline a forward-looking roadmap incorporating advanced PCB technology to sustain PDN efficiency in future high-density compute systems.

Download the whitepaper to explore how Vertical Power Delivery (VPD) and PCB cavity embedding slash transmission impedance to 20 µΩ and cut PDN power losses by 37.1%—delivering the thermal-electrical efficiency required to power 1000A+ next-generation AI accelerators.