High-Performance PMIC Supports DVS for General-Purpose MPUs

Microchip Technology's latest integrated PMIC is optimized for general-purpose MPUs requiring dynamic voltage scaling.

The MCP16503 is an optimally integrated power-management IC (PMIC) developed by Microchip Technology for general-purpose embedded microprocessor units (MPUs) requiring dynamic voltage scaling (DVS).

The PMIC integrates four DC-DC buck regulators, two auxiliary LDOs, and a comprehensive interface to the MPU, which includes an interrupt flag and a 1-MHz I2C interface. The regulators can support loads up to 1 A and are designed to be 100% duty-cycle-capable. Startup voltages for the regulators are adjustable using resistors. After startup, they can be fully adjusted by the PMIC’s I2C control bus.

The MCP16503 enables compact, efficient, and flexible power solutions that work seamlessly with its industrial and edge AI computing platforms. It ultimately helps designers achieve faster time‑to‑market and lower overall design risk for next‑gen industrial applications.

Furthermore, the PMIC is supported by a subsystem board.

About the Author

Lee Goldberg

Contributing Editor

Lee is the author of the popular PowerBites series

Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.

Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.

Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.

Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.