About Featured Expert: Vicor

Vicor are global industry experts in high-density power conversion, modular power components and advanced power-delivery architectures.  The company designs, develops and manufactures power modules and complete power systems for applications where size, weight, efficiency, current density and thermal performance directly influence finished equipment performance. Its technologies are used to move power from high-voltage or intermediate distribution buses to the point of load through compact, scalable conversion stages.

A central part of Vicor’s work is its Factorized Power Architecture. Rather than requiring voltage regulation and transformation to occur within one conventional converter stage, the architecture separates those functions. PRM regulator modules establish and control the required bus voltage, while VTM current multipliers provide fixed-ratio voltage transformation closer to the load. This approach allows regulation and current delivery to be positioned according to system electrical and physical requirements. It is especially relevant in applications where high current must be delivered across limited board space without creating excessive distribution losses or surrounding the load with large conversion assemblies.

Vicor-logo-Featured-Expert-Electronics-Industry-Monthly.png Vicor has extended that concept into Power-on-Package architectures for high-performance computing and AI processors. Vertical and lateral power-delivery configurations place compact conversion stages much closer to CPUs, GPUs and ASICs, helping address the final portion of the power path between the board-level distribution network and the processor package. The company’s wider 48-volt ecosystem supports conversion from high voltage to a 48-volt distribution bus, direct conversion from 48 volts to the point of load and compatibility between 48- and 12-volt systems. These architectures are increasingly applied where rising system power has made conventional lower-voltage distribution less practical.

Vicor’s modular approach also allows power-delivery networks to be scaled through different combinations of regulated, fixed-ratio, isolated and non-isolated conversion. BCM bus converters, DCM regulated converters, PRM regulators and VTM current multipliers can be configured according to the input source, distribution voltage, isolation requirement and load architecture. Packaging remains closely connected with that electrical performance. The company’s ChiP packaging technology is used to support high power density, low-profile construction and thermal transfer across its module portfolio. This allows conversion stages to be located closer to demanding loads or within systems where larger power supplies would restrict the mechanical design.

Automotive applications form another important area of Vicor expertise. Its power modules support high-voltage battery conversion, 48-volt distribution, 48-to-12-volt bridging, zonal vehicle architectures and power delivery for steer-by-wire, brake-by-wire, active suspension and other electrically intensive vehicle systems.  The same combination of modularity, density and efficiency is applied across aerospace, defense, robotics, industrial equipment and communications infrastructure. Vicor technologies are used within UAVs, satellites, autonomous systems, test equipment and high-performance platforms where power conversion must support increased functionality without imposing unnecessary weight or volume. Across these markets, Vicor’s work is grounded in the complete power-delivery network. Conversion topology, distribution voltage, module placement, packaging, thermal behavior and point-of-load performance are treated as connected parts of the same architecture.

Typical applications for Vicor technologies include AI and high-performance computing, data centers, automotive electronics, electric vehicles, robotics, industrial automation, telecommunications, aerospace, defense systems, satellites and unmanned platforms.  Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, Vicor operates U.S.-based engineering and manufacturing facilities while supporting customers through a global technical and sales network. To learn more about Vicor and its modular power technologies, please click here.

(Editor’s Note: All trademarks mentioned in this article, including company names, product names, and logos, are the property of their respective owners. Use of these trademarks is for informational purposes only and does not imply any endorsement.)

Molly Bakewell Chamberlin
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