Three leading digital power supply companies have formed the AMP Consortium – Architects of Modern Power. CUI, Ericsson Power Modules and Murata Power Solutions say the move has been made for a number of reasons, including supply chain security, customer choice and to accelerate innovation.
The consortium's ambition is 'to define the future of intelligent, distributed, digital power ecosystems'. Mark Adams, senior vice president with CUI, said: "There are three leading companies in the sector and we have come together because, even though we're leaders, our customers have broader needs – one of the first questions we're asked is whether we have second sources for our products."
The consortium's efforts will initially be focused on advanced bus DC/DC converters and point of load converters, but it will look at other areas in the future. The three founders plan to announce their first compatible products at electronica in November, as well as standards and a road map.
Patrick Le Fevre, Ericsson's marketing communications director, added: "Digital power is putting more demand on suppliers to align their software; it's not just about footprint compatibility."
This isn't the first such effort in the power sector; earlier attempts included POLA, which is now inactive, and DOSA – the Distributed Power Open Systems Alliance. "DOSA has attempted to address these issues over the last 10 years, but has mainly addressed the analogue world," Adams noted.
Author
Graham Pitcher
Source: www.newelectronics.co.uk