Compiled by | ZeR0
Edited by | Moying
The AI computing infrastructure sector has witnessed another blockbuster acquisition. As reported by Zhidx on May 20, Analog Devices Inc. (ADI), a U.S. analog chip giant, announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to acquire Empower Semiconductor in an all-cash transaction valued at $1.5 billion (approximately CNY 10.2 billion). The transaction is expected to close in the second half of this year.
The expansion of data centers has driven a surge in total power demand. Energy has become one of the most persistent and critical bottlenecks in scaling next-generation AI systems. Tim Phillips, CEO of Empower, stated that Empower was founded to solve the most difficult problem in AI power delivery—the power bottleneck limiting AI throughput.
Its technology delivers the power density, speed, and efficiency AI chips need to reach their full potential, thereby significantly optimizing performance. The company provides the industry's smallest and fastest integrated voltage regulators (IVR), supporting multi-rail power delivery with up to 25W of power, enabling efficient system and chipset power in compact solutions. Its vertical power delivery platform, Crescendo, is specifically designed for demanding xPU and accelerator platforms. It drastically reduces the size of power components and achieves higher performance per watt by lowering power delivery losses, placing power conversion components directly under or near the System on Chip (SoC).
Empower's silicon capacitors are already in production, and its IVR programs are in close collaboration with leading hyperscalers and AI chip suppliers. ADI will accelerate its capabilities through its scale, manufacturing, and customer reach. Together, ADI and Empower will help shape the power delivery architecture for AI and other compute-intensive applications. By moving power conversion closer to the processor, this combined solution shortens the power delivery path and improves efficiency to support higher-performance, higher-density systems. Building on its leadership in high-performance power management, ADI is investing in system-level platforms to enable step-change improvements in performance, density, and efficiency from the grid to the core.
"AI infrastructure is fundamentally reshaping how power is delivered, and energy is now the most persistent constraint in scaling next-generation systems," said Vincent Roche, Chairman and CEO of ADI. "ADI already provides some of the highest-performing power management solutions in the industry, and with Empower, we will further expand our portfolio to help customers reimagine their power systems and achieve the compute density required for next-generation AI." Amid the frenzied expansion of the AI computing race, energy efficiency has become an unavoidable issue. In the vast market of AI infrastructure, increasingly specific and segmented business stories are unfolding. Source: ADI