Looking to capitalize on the shift to vertical power delivery (VPD) to solve power distribution losses and thermal challenges in data centers, Lotus Microsystems has launched what it claims is the first low-profile module that integrates thermal management and power delivery on a single co-engineered platform.
“Historically, power delivery and thermal management were treated as entirely separate engineering challenges due to material limitations,” Hans Hasselby-Anderson, CEO of Lotus Microsystems told Electronics360. “Traditional packaging and substrate materials (like FR4) lack the physical properties required to handle extreme current loads while simultaneously dissipating localized heat.”
However, Lotus Microsystems has moved its power technology and thermal guidelines from conventional materials to silicon-based substrates, allowing this integration of thermal and power proprieties to be integrated into a single platform, Hasselby-Anderson said.
Called vStrata, the first engineering sample, dubbed LSC0580, has been successfully taped out for xPU and AI infrastructure. The device is said to reduce power conversion losses by more than 50%. At this level, it could allow for billion-dollar savings in energy costs for the global data center community, Lotus Microsystems said.
How it works
Advanced packaging allows Lotus to co-engineer electrical, thermal and mechanical profiles into a unified architecture that allows for this module to be placed directly underneath the processor, reducing the physical distance between the power module and the process chip while extracting heat from the exact same point, Hasselby-Anderson said.
And with data centers moving quickly toward gigawatt power consumption where power delivery limitation and thermal bottlenecks can no longer be solved independently, Lotus Microsystems’ modules are attracting a lot of attention from hyperscalers.
“Hyperscalers need solutions that tackle both efficiency and heat at the same time to prevent severe hardware throttling,” Hasselby-Anderson said. “By transitioning to vertical power delivery, power is brought directly up through the bottom of the processor, eliminating distribution losses.”
The vStrata platform couples this with integrated thermal pathways to lower operating temperatures, reducing massive cooling overhead and energy costs in hyperscale infrastructure.
Lotus’ power interposer technology (PIT) and Lotus thermal guide (LTG) are embedded into the module to leverage silicon’s superior thermal conductivity to manage heat directly at the point of load. This improves thermal management in and around the modules while also eliminating hotspots, the company said.
“Unlike traditional architectures that rely on bulky magnetic components, we utilize a proprietary inductor-free power converter topology,” Hasselby-Anderson said. “This enables the highest power conversion efficiency and an ultra-compact, low-profile design.”
Looking ahead
According to Hasselby-Anderson, Lotus’ first engineering sample is slated to be delivered by the third quarter of 2026 where the samples will be evaluated and qualified for users. Following this phase, the company has a target for mass production in 2027.
The fabless semiconductor company, located out of Copenhagen, Denmark, has established a Tier-1 manufacturing setup in Asia that it says can meet its timeline for scaling and high-volume demands.
