1. Field of the Invention
The field of the invention is data processing, or, more specifically, methods, apparatus, and products for optimizing delivery of regulated power from a voltage regulator to an electrical component.
2. Description of Related Art
The development of the EDVAC computer system of 1948 is often cited as the beginning of the computer era. Since that time, computer systems have evolved into extremely complicated devices. Today's computers are much more sophisticated than early systems such as the EDVAC. Computer systems typically include a combination of hardware and software components, application programs, operating systems, processors, buses, memory, input/output devices, and so on. As advances in semiconductor processing and computer architecture push the performance of the computer higher and higher, more sophisticated computer software has evolved to take advantage of the higher performance of the hardware, resulting in computer systems today that are much more powerful than just a few years ago.
One area of technology where computer systems have improved is in increased efficiency in power utilization of the computer systems. Current multi-phase voltage regulators deliver power to a computer or electrical components of the computer in an inefficient manner, however. The phases in current multi-phase voltage regulators are rated to provide an identical maximum power. A voltage regulator having 3 phases rated for 20 amperes (‘A’) per phase can provide up to 60 A, but is extremely inefficient in providing power at lower current draws. When only 1 amp of current draw is present, for example, the voltage regulator may ‘shed’ or turn off two of its three phases. Providing a possible 20 A when only 1 A is necessary, however, is inefficient. As such, readers of skill in the art will recognize that there is room for improvement in multi-phase voltage regulator technology.