New Marvell chip reduces PC power consumption by half

By Stevie Smith Nov 6, 2007, 13:35 GMT

Semiconductor manufacturer Marvell has unveiled its new digital signal processor (DSP) chip designed to reduce PC power consumption by 50 percent. Credit. Marvell.

Continuing today’s trend for improving the performance of personal computing hardware, storage and semiconductor specialist Marvell Technology has developed a new chip able to reduce the power consumption of PC hardware and other electronic devices by as much as half.

California-based Marvell has said it plans to introduce its chip in a new line of AC-DC power conversion controller chips, or ‘smart power devices’, using the company‘s digital signal processor (DSP) technology, reports a CNNMoney article.

Beyond the attraction of reduced power usage, Marvell is also keen to point out that its new chip will also help to reduce costs for product vendors and manufacturers while also being beneficial for the environment.

While Hubie Notohamiprodjo, GM of Power Management at Marvell, has offered that the company is "gearing more and more toward products that save energy," analyst feedback suggests that the introduction of its new power-saving chip is a consequence of Marvell pushing to boost growth following nearly 12 months of profit and sales decline.

Mr. Notohamiprodjo goes on to say that unlike similar analogue power control chips offered by other manufacturers such as Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor, Marvell’s is the first DSP chip introduced to better govern power input.

And, unlike other DSP technology, Marvell’s chip is expected to retail for less than $2.00 USD each in batches of 1,000 units, which undercuts other prices by around $3.00 USD.

Citing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Marvell offers that more than 50 percent of power provided by today’s wall sockets is wasted and that more-efficient power supplies could lead to consumers and businesses in the United States saving around $3 billion USD each year.

From an environmental standpoint, enhanced power usage could reduce CO2 emissions by approximately 24 million tons per year - although that is somewhat of a drop in the pollution ocean for the U.S., which stands at a staggering 5.9 billion tons.

In terms of its effect, Marvell’s chip will perform ‘power factor correction’, which will govern the amount of power delivered to any given device from the wall socket with the minimal amount needed for operation, existing as kind of an electrical fuel-injection system rather than simply allowing a constant flow of power.