Dynamic Load Stepping: A New Paradigm For Determining GPU/ASIC Power Rail Stability And Impedance
by Steve Sandler, Picotest, Phoenix, Ariz., How2Power Today, Dec 15 2024
Focus:
As GPUs, ASICs, and CPUs continue to push the boundaries of performance, the power systems
that support them face unprecedented challenges. Before these advanced processors can be
safely powered and tested, their power rails must undergo rigorous assessment with e-loads
emulating massive, arbitrary current draw profiles at nanosecond edge speeds. While such
challenging load profiles are being applied to the power system, engineers must evaluate
critical factors like stability, large-signal voltage responses, and crosstalk between
adjacent power rails. This article explores the limitations of the traditional approaches
to power rail assessment, highlights the innovations driving a new generation of
electronic loads, and introduces dynamic load stepping as a paradigm-shifting solution for
assessing the demanding power requirements of cutting-edge GPUs, CPUs, and ASICs. Methods
such as traditional load step response testing, Bode plot analysis, and noninvasive
stability measurement (NISM) using impedance are reviewed and their limitations discussed.
What you’ll learn:
- How to understand the benefits of dynamic load stepping in assessing performance of voltage regulators for advanced processors
- How to understand the evolution of power supply stability testing
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