Texas Instruments has unveiled a pair of new components designed to pack more power management capability into a smaller space, with potential applications ranging from electric vehicle drivetrains to the server racks that run artificial intelligence systems.
The products, announced at a power electronics conference in San Antonio, are built around a technology TI calls IsoShield, which combines several parts that would traditionally sit separately on a circuit board into a single compact unit.
The key benefit is isolation, the ability to transfer power between two circuits while keeping them electrically separate, which protects sensitive components and reduces the risk of dangerous faults. Achieving this reliably normally requires multiple discrete components and careful board layout, adding cost, complexity and bulk.
TI says its approach delivers the same result in a package up to 70% smaller than conventional designs, and at up to three times the power density, meaning more capability in less space.
That matters increasingly in data centres, where boards are becoming more tightly packed as AI processors demand more power, and in electric vehicles, where engineers are under constant pressure to reduce weight and size.
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One of the two new modules is designed for automotive use; the other targets broader industrial and data-centre applications. The larger of the two is roughly the size of a small shirt button.
The company says the modules are available to order now, with sample hardware and design guides offered to engineers evaluating them for new products.
The recap
- TI unveiled isolated IsoShield power modules at APEC in San Antonio
- Modules deliver up to 3x higher power density than discrete solutions
- Preproduction and production quantities available now on TI.com