Microchip expands dsPIC33A family
Microchip expanded its dsPIC33A digital-signal-controller family for high-density AI data‑center power, complex motor control and intelligent sensing, positioning control silicon as part of the broader AI infrastructure stack. The announcement highlights growth in controller silicon adjacent to accelerators. (manilatimes.net)
A digital signal controller is the chip that watches sensors, does fast math, and adjusts power or motors in real time. On April 14, Microchip said it added a new part, the dsPIC33AK256MPS306, to its dsPIC33A family for AI server power, motor control and sensing systems. (microchip.com) Microchip said the new device runs at 200 megahertz, uses a 32-bit core, and includes up to 256 kilobytes of program memory in packages ranging from 36 to 64 pins. The company is targeting power conversion, complex motor control and intelligent sensing, not the graphics processors that train artificial intelligence models. (microchip.com) In plain terms, these chips act like traffic cops inside power supplies and machines: they sample voltage or current, calculate corrections, and switch hardware on tiny time scales. Microchip said the part combines 78-picosecond pulse-width modulation timing with three 40 million-sample-per-second analog-to-digital converters, comparators, amplifiers and digital-to-analog converters on one chip. (microchip.com) That matters in AI data centers because the power system around a server is getting denser as racks draw more electricity and waste heat becomes more expensive. Industry suppliers including onsemi say AI growth is pushing operators toward higher rack power density and tighter power-conversion efficiency targets. (onsemi.com) Microchip is also pitching security alongside control. The company said the new dsPIC33A devices support post-quantum cryptography, a set of algorithms meant to resist attacks from future quantum computers, and cited deterministic real-time control as a requirement in automotive and industrial systems as well as data centers. (microchip.com) The product sits in a part of the semiconductor market that gets less attention than artificial intelligence accelerators but is essential to making them usable. Digital signal controllers combine a microcontroller’s device control with digital signal processing hardware for math-heavy jobs such as motor control and power conversion. (microchip.com, nxp.com) Microchip has been building out this line for more than a year. In 2024, the company introduced the dsPIC33A platform with a new core, double-precision floating-point support on some models, and development tools including the MPLAB XC-DSC compiler and a dsPIC33A Curiosity board. (microchip.com) The company said the new device is meant to cut bill-of-materials cost, simplify board layout and speed time to market by integrating analog, control and security functions that might otherwise require extra chips. That is the sales pitch behind this launch: more of the artificial intelligence infrastructure stack is being built in the power and control silicon wrapped around the accelerator. (microchip.com)
