Overview: A Higher-Voltage Rack Architecture Takes Shape

As AI data centers scale to support high-power GPU clusters, rack power delivery is undergoing a structural change. The industry is shifting away from 48V/54V architectures toward higher-voltage DC distribution, a transition intended to improve distribution efficiency, increase power density and support next-generation server designs. Against that backdrop, Microchip Technology (Nasdaq: MCHP) and Navitas Semiconductor (Nasdaq: NVTS) have collaborated on an 800V DC-to-6V DC reference design aimed squarely at AI data center rack power applications.

The two companies frame the platform as a practical engineering path rather than a conceptual demonstration. It combines Microchip's digital power control and security technologies with Navitas' GaNFast gallium nitride (GaN) power devices, and is aligned with the Open Compute Project (OCP) 800V DC standard. The package includes reference hardware, software and design documentation, an inclusion that matters because it lets developers evaluate and accelerate deployment of 800V DC power conversion systems without building the control, security and power-stage stack from zero.

Why 800V? The Economics of Megawatt-Class Racks

The move to higher bus voltages is fundamentally about current. Delivering the same power at a higher voltage reduces the current that must flow through rack busbars and cabling, which in turn reduces distribution losses and the conductor mass required to carry the load. For megawatt-class racks populated with dense GPU clusters, those considerations become architectural constraints rather than incremental optimizations.

Microchip's Joe Thomsen, corporate vice president of the company's digital signal controller business unit, described the shift in sweeping terms: "AI infrastructure optimization is driving one of the most significant power architecture transitions the data center industry has experienced in decades." He added that as the ecosystem moves toward higher-voltage rack power systems, developers need proven control and security to reduce implementation risk, and that the collaboration with Navitas combines digital control, hardware-based security and advanced GaN power conversion to help customers bring 800V rack power systems to market more quickly.

Technical Details: Digital Control Meets GaN

At the core of the reference platform are Microchip's dsPIC33AK Digital Signal Controllers (DSCs) and the TA100 CryptoAuthentication security IC, paired with Navitas' GaNFast FETs. The dsPIC33AK provides deterministic digital power control for high-frequency, high-efficiency DC/DC conversion, while the TA100 establishes a hardware root of trust. Together they form the precision control and security foundations the companies say are required for connected OCP power supply designs.

The dsPIC33AK256MPS306 family carries a notably dense control feature set:

  • A 200 MHz 32-bit core with a double-precision floating-point unit (FPU)
  • 78 ps high-resolution Pulse Width Modulators (PWMs)
  • Multiple 12-bit Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) operating at up to 40 MSPS
  • Library support for Commercial National Security Algorithm (CNSA) Suite 2.0 recommended post-quantum cryptographic algorithms
  • Hardware-accelerated cryptographic functions for connected real-time control designs

On the power side, the platform's power daughter board (PDB) is powered by 16 × NV6034, 650 V, 17 mΩ GaNFast FETs in a stacked half-bridge topology on the primary side. The DFN8×8 dual-side-cooled package is presented as a way to extend GaN's performance advantages by reducing thermal resistance, allowing higher continuous power operation while maintaining efficiency. The PDB targets up to 96% peak efficiency at full load with 1 MHz switching frequency, enabling a power density of 2,100 W/in³.

The Single-Stage Conversion Advantage

One of the more consequential architectural claims is that direct conversion from 800V DC to 6V DC combines both the 800V DC-to-50V DC and 50V DC-to-6V DC conversion stages into one converter, delivering higher end-to-end efficiency. Eliminating an intermediate stage removes a set of switching and magnetics losses, and it also removes board area and component count from the power path.

Form factor reinforces the point. The board is described as approximately 20% thinner than a mobile phone, an ultra-low profile that enables extremely close integration with the GPU board, maximizing transient performance and improving power distribution efficiency. Navitas frames this as a system-level approach that translates advances in GaN technology into measurable improvements in efficiency, power density, transient performance and total cost of ownership.

Hardware Root of Trust and Post-Quantum Readiness

Security is treated as a first-class element of the design rather than an add-on. Microchip's TA100 CryptoAuthentication IC lets developers establish a trusted foundation for system authentication and protection without implementing those capabilities from scratch. The device supports code authentication, including secure boot, Message Authentication Code (MAC) generation, trusted firmware updates, and multiple key management protocols including Transport Layer Security (TLS), along with other root-of-trust-based operations.

The pairing with the dsPIC33AK's CNSA Suite 2.0 post-quantum algorithm library support is notable for infrastructure with long service lifetimes. Rack power systems deployed now may remain in service for many years, making migration planning for post-quantum cryptography a forward-looking design decision embedded in the control silicon.

Industry Impact and Vendor Positioning

Navitas' Vipin Bothra, vice president of Global Solution Marketing, tied the collaboration to the broader trajectory of AI compute: "As AI infrastructure scales to support increasingly demanding computing platforms, Navitas' GaNFast technology is a critical enabler of higher power density, greater efficiency and improved system performance." He added that combining Navitas' leadership in power semiconductors with Microchip's digital control expertise accelerates delivery of advanced power solutions tailored to next-generation AI data centers.

The partnership structure is itself telling. Neither a control vendor nor a power device vendor can unilaterally deliver an 800V-to-6V rack solution that meets OCP-aligned expectations; the reference design binds control, security and GaN switching into a single evaluable platform, lowering the integration burden on server and power supply OEMs.

Implications for AI Data Centers

For operators, the significance lies in what a validated 800V-to-6V path does to rack-level design constraints. Higher distribution efficiency and greater power density translate into more compute per rack footprint, while a thinner, closely coupled power board supports tighter integration with GPU boards and better transient response under aggressive load swings. Hardware-based authentication and secure firmware update support address the operational reality that power supplies are connected, updatable devices within the data center trust boundary.

Future Outlook

The reference design will be showcased at the 2026 OCP Global Summit, taking place October 12–15, 2026, in San Jose, California, where attendees can learn how the design combines digital control, hardware-based security and GaN power conversion to support efficient 800V-to-6V DC/DC power architectures.

With reference board, software and documentation in place, the immediate next step is ecosystem evaluation. The broader question is how quickly the industry's 48V/54V installed base gives way to 800V DC distribution — a transition that Microchip and Navitas are now explicitly positioning their silicon and tooling to serve.