Voltage regulators for an integrated circuit chip
AssigneeAdvanced Micro Devices, Inc.
InventorsThomas J. Gibney, Larry D. Hewitt, Daniel L. Bouvier
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The described embodiments include an apparatus that controls voltages for an integrated circuit chip having a set of circuits. The apparatus includes a switching voltage regulator separate from the integrated circuit chip and two or more low dropout (LDO) regulators fabricated on the integrated circuit chip. During operation, the switching voltage regulator provides an output voltage that is received as an input voltage by each of the two or more LDO regulators, and each of the two or more LDO regulators provides a local output voltage, each local output voltage received as a local input voltage by a different subset of circuits in the set of circuits.
Claims19
An apparatus that controls voltages, comprising:
- an integrated circuit chip comprising a set of circuits;
- a switching voltage regulator separate from the integrated circuit chip;
- a plurality of low dropout (LDO) regulators fabricated on the integrated circuit chip, wherein the switching voltage regulator provides an output voltage that is received as an input voltage by each of the plurality of LDO regulators and wherein each LDO regulator of the plurality of LDO regulators provides a local output voltage, each local output voltage received as a local input voltage by a different subset of circuits in the set of circuits;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- for each LDO regulator, identify the local output voltage to be provided by the LDO regulator;
- based on the local output voltage to be provided by each of the LDO regulators, identify the output voltage to be provided by the switching voltage regulator;
- and
- configure the switching voltage regulator to provide the output voltage and each LDO regulator to provide the local output voltage to be provided by the LDO regulator.
A method for controlling voltages for an integrated circuit chip comprising a set of circuits, the method comprising, by a controller:
- identifying a corresponding local output voltage to be provided by each low-dropout regulator (LDO) of a plurality of LDO regulators that are fabricated on the integrated circuit chip, wherein each LDO regulator of the plurality of LDO regulators provides a local output voltage that is received as a local input voltage by a different subset of circuits in the set of circuits;
- identifying, based on the local output voltage to be provided by each of the LDO regulators, an output voltage to be provided by a switching voltage regulator that is separate from the integrated circuit chip, wherein the output voltage provided by the switching regulator is received as an input voltage by each of the plurality of LDO regulators;
- and
- configuring the switching voltage regulator to provide the output voltage and each LDO regulator to provide the local output voltage to be provided by the LDO regulator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.