Understanding why power management IP is so important

By Chris Morrison, VP Product Marketing, Agile Analog

Power management IP is indispensable in modern chip design, especially for battery applications where power is constrained and for high-power applications where thermal efficiency is vital. Power management IPs are specialized blocks or circuits that help to control the power consumption, voltage levels and energy efficiency of a system.

The key components of power management IP

First, let’s review the common components of power management IP. These include low drop-out (LDO) linear voltage regulators, voltage references, and power-on-reset (POR) circuits and can be combined into a dedicated power management unit (PMU) that contains all of the sub-blocks.

LDOs: These are typically used to provide a precise, low-noise, regulated voltage level from a power source such as a battery. A minimal voltage drop (or drop-out voltage) could result from this. A drop-out of 200mV in a standard LDO is typically enough to filter the incoming supply for line and load regulation, producing a low noise and stable output voltage against power supply and load variations.

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