MaxLinear, Inc. today introduced Jeju™. The company leads in high-speed connectivity, mixed-signal and power-management semiconductor solutions. Jeju is a highly integrated, custom multiphase power management IC (PMIC). It targets maximum efficiency in DSP-based 1.6T pluggable optical modules for AI infrastructure networks. The MaxLinear Jeju PMIC arrives as data centers demand better power efficiency.
Engineers built Jeju for advanced 3nm and 4nm CMOS Optical PAM4 DSPs. The device aims to deliver industry-leading peak power efficiency of up to 95%. In addition, it targets power savings of up to 0.5W per 1.6T PAM4 DSP versus conventional PMICs. As a result, Jeju lowers both module power consumption and heat dissipation. Consequently, it helps cut thermal management costs and improves overall module manufacturing yield. MaxLinear optimized Jeju for its Rushmore 1.6T PAM4 DSP. Moreover, the PMIC supports DSP-based 1.6T module designs across the industry.
Why Conventional PMICs Struggle With Advanced DSPs
Jeju PMIC 1.6T and higher speed DSPs are moving to advanced 2nm, 3nm and 4nm CMOS process nodes. Meanwhile, operating voltages keep falling below 1V. Current requirements, however, rise rapidly. Conventional PMICs typically run outside their optimal power-efficiency range. Therefore, they deliver poorer peak power-efficiency under low-voltage and high-current operation. This increases power loss and thermal burden. Furthermore, OSFP and QSFP-DD optical modules already operate within constrained power budgets and space limits. Jeju specifically targets these requirements.
“At 1.6T and 3.2T, every watt matters. We expect combined 800G and 1.6T optical module volumes to approach 200 million units in 2026, making power efficiency increasingly critical. Jeju is purpose-built for the low-voltage, high-current requirements of advanced optical DSPs, delivering up to 0.5W savings per DSP in a 1.6T optical module. Combined with MaxLinear’s Rushmore 1.6T PAM4 DSP, Jeju is designed to help optical module makers reduce power, thermal load, and design complexity. We are engaging with lead optical-module customers to support early evaluation and platform development,” said Amit D. Bavisi, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and General Manager of MaxLinear’s Analog Mixed-Signal Business Unit.
Custom-Designed for the Power Profile of 1.6T Optical DSPs
The MxL77904 uses MaxLinear’s proprietary Constant On-Time (COT) power controller architecture. This design delivers fast transient response with conventional ceramic output capacitors. Notably, it needs no external loop compensation. Thus, designers get tight voltage regulation with lower output capacitance. That change can reduce component count, board area, and BOM cost.
Dynamic Voltage Scaling (DVS) adds more flexibility. Designers control it through I²C registers or GPIO interfaces. In turn, they can optimize power consumption and thermal load across operating states. Flexible 4+0, 3+1, 2+1+1 and 1+1+1+1 configurations support up to 5A per phase. Hence, they fit a wide range of DSP, optical component, and module power architectures.
Key benefits include:
- Maximum efficiency at Jeju PMIC 1.6T DSP load points: Jeju saves up to 0.5W per DSP compared with existing PMICs. It also delivers up to 95% peak conversion efficiency on low-voltage, high-current DSP core rails. Automatic phase shedding and phase adding, combined with Auto-PFM operation, reduce heat generation in thermally constrained modules.
- Fast transient response with lower output capacitance: The PMIC keeps DSP rail regulation tight during dynamic load transients. At the same time, it reduces the required output capacitance and board area.
- High DC and AC power accuracy: Jeju offers 0.5% typical DC output-voltage accuracy and high-resolution tracking output voltage steps. Likewise, it tightly controls overshoot and undershoot during load transients. Together, these features help reduce module-level operating voltage margin requirements and DSP dynamic power consumption.
- Low-noise power delivery: Low-impedance integrated MOSFETs, a programmable 600kHz to 4MHz switching frequency range, and remote voltage sensing support sensitive PAM4 DSP and optical analog circuitry.
- Compact integration: A small 54-ball WLCSP package supports high-density QSFP-DD, OSFP, and future pluggable module designs.
- Integrated protection: On-chip over-voltage, under-voltage, over-current, negative-current, short-circuit and over-temperature protection support the reliability requirements of data center optics.
Expanding MaxLinear’s Optical-Module Platform BOM
The MxL77904 builds on MaxLinear’s heritage of custom power-management solutions for complex SoCs. That heritage includes multi-rail, multiphase power architectures for broadband and connectivity platforms. Designed to broadly support DSP-based 1.6T modules, the MxL77904 expands MaxLinear’s data center component portfolio for optical modules. As a result, the portfolio now reaches beyond signal processing into optimized power delivery. Together with the Rushmore 1.6T PAM4 DSP, it brings MaxLinear’s expertise in signal processing, optical connectivity and power management Jeju PMIC to next-generation optical modules.
“Efficient power delivery is now essential for meeting 1.6T module power targets,” said Rajneesh Gaur, Senior Vice President and General Manager of MaxLinear’s Data Center Connectivity Business Unit. “Pairing Jeju with our Rushmore DSP gives module partners a combined signal-processing and power-management solution that is designed to simplify integration, lower module power, and accelerate time to market for next-generation AI data center optics.”
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News Source: Businesswire.com
