News: Microelectronics
18 March 2026
Infineon introduces CoolGaN-based high-voltage intermediate bus converter reference designs
Infineon Technologies AG of Munich, Germany has introduced two new high-voltage intermediate bus converter (HV IBC) reference designs to help customers accelerate the transition to AI server power architectures powered by ±400V and 800V DC. Enabled by Infineon’s 650V CoolGaN switches, the designs target hyperscalers, power architects, and server OEMs seeking higher rack power, lower power distribution losses, and improved thermal performance at rising AI workloads.
The reference designs address two different architectures: the 800VDC-to-50V design serves as an intermediate stage for downstream 48V IBC modules, while the 800VDC-to-12V design enables direct conversion for compact server boards. For custom implementations, Infineon offers the digital controller XDPP1188-200C, which supports flexible output voltages of 48V, 24V or 12V.
“Our HV IBC reference designs are giving customers a faster path to high-voltage data-center architectures leveraging Infineon’s high-quality power semiconductors with system-level design expertise,” says Christian Burrer, vice president Power Systems at Infineon. “By showcasing complete, high-efficiency implementations, customers can de-risk development, raise power density, and improve energy efficiency at scale.”
The 800VDC or ±400V to 50V HV IBC reference design was developed for next-generation AI data centers and demonstrates more than 98% efficiency at full load. Built using Infineon’s solution-optimized high-voltage and medium-voltage CoolGaN switches, EiceDRIVER gate drivers and a PSOC microcontroller, it consists of two 3kW 400V-to-50V converter building blocks, which are configured in an input-series-output-parallel (ISOP) arrangement. The approach scales to 6kW TDP and supports up to 10.8kW for 400µs, using a planar PCB integrated transformer with multiple synchronous rectifier stages and soft switching across all load conditions to reduce EMI. The compact implementation has a 60mm x 60mm x 11mm form factor and achieves an exceptional 2.5kW/in3 power density.
The second reference design is an ultra-thin HV IBC demo board, which converts an 800VDC bus voltage directly to a 12V intermediate rail. The design delivers 6kW TDP and supports up to 10.8kW for 400µs. It operates as an ISOP half-bridge LLC converter and uses an innovative matrix-transformer design to achieve an 8mm height in a 130mm x 40mm footprint. The ultra-thin design has a power density above 2300W/in3 and enables innovative server board cooling concepts. The design reaches up to 98.2% peak efficiency and 97.1% efficiency at full load. To meet these stringent specifications, the design uses Infineon’s premium 650V CoolGaN and 40V OptiMOS 7 switches, with EiceDRIVER gate drivers and a PSOC microcontroller.
Both HV IBC reference designs are optimized for use with Infineon’s broad AI server power delivery portfolio from grid to core – spanning solid-state transformers and circuit breakers, high-voltage and intermediate bus conversion, as well as second-stage DC conversion power modules. Leveraging the benefits of silicon, silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) to achieve the highest efficiency, density and robustness, Infineon says that it gives customers a clear path to end-to-end power architectures with proven high-quality components, consistent design support, and scalable performance for next-generation AI server platforms.
APEC 2026
Infineon is exhibiting its power device portfolio — spanning all relevant power technologies in silicon, SiC and GaN — in booth #1619 at the IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference & Exposition (APEC 2026) at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas, USA (22–26 March).
