New chip boosts GPU power efficiency to 96.2% for data centers

In data centers, GPUs need very low voltage to run, but power comes in at 48 volts. The conversion wastes a lot of energy, like trying to fill a small cup with a big hose. A team from UC San Diego just shared good news: they created a new power conversion chip that could make this process much more efficient.

The team used piezoelectric resonators to replace some traditional magnetic parts, building a new hybrid DC-DC converter. This chip transfers and stores energy through mechanical vibrations, which means it can be smaller and more efficient. Lab tests showed it can drop 48 volts down to 4.8 volts, with a peak efficiency of 96.2%, and deliver about 5 times more output current than earlier designs.

But this tech is still in the prototype stage and can't replace current solutions yet. The team says next steps will focus on improving materials, circuit design, and packaging. If it works out for data centers in the future, it could cut power losses and ease the heat and power headaches caused by high-power GPUs.