US 11,698,669 B2
Scalable, hierarchical power delivery system
Keith Cox, Sunnyvale, CA (US); Jamie L. Langlinais, Los Gatos, CA (US); and Inder M. Sodhi, Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed by Apple Inc., Cupertino, CA (US)
Filed on Aug. 25, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/412,230.
Prior Publication US 2023/0060391 A1, Mar. 2, 2023
Int. Cl. G06F 1/26 (2006.01); H02M 3/155 (2006.01); H02M 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 1/26 (2013.01) [H02M 3/155 (2013.01); G06F 1/263 (2013.01); H02M 1/007 (2021.05); H02M 1/0067 (2021.05)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a hierarchical power delivery circuit that includes:
a first level of power converter circuitry that is configured to generate, from an input voltage, a plurality of first-level regulated supply voltages; and
a second level of power converter circuitry that is configured to generate, from corresponding ones of the plurality of first-level regulated supply voltages, a plurality of second-level regulated supply voltages to a computing element comprising one or more integrated circuits configured to operate as a single, logical computer system, wherein the computing element is configured to operate in a plurality of power configurations having differing numbers of load circuits; and
wherein the hierarchical power delivery circuit is configured to selectively enable differing portions of the first and second levels of power converter circuitry for corresponding ones of the plurality of power configurations of the computing element.