pSemi’s New Power ICs Address Fast Charging and High-Voltage Conversion

At APEC 2026 in San Antonio, Texas, pSemi — a Murata company — announced two new power management ICs aimed at distinct but equally demanding markets: USB fast charging for mobile devices and high-voltage power conversion for humanoid robotics.

The PE26100 Multi-Level Buck Converter

The PE26100 is a multi-level buck converter targeting direct battery charging in smartphones, tablets, and compact mobile devices. The device accepts input voltages from 4.5 V to 18.5 V, covering USB Power Delivery (USB-PD), programmable power supply, and Qi wireless charging sources. 

Application circuit of the PE26100 multi-level buck converter for smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices. Image used courtesy of pSemi

When a fixed USB-PD voltage is present, the PE26100 operates in four-level buck mode at higher input voltages and steps down to three-level buck mode at mid-to-low input voltages. The multi-level architecture reduces inductance requirements, enabling the device to deliver up to 6 A in a package under 1 mm tall — a practical advantage as smartphone and tablet designs continue to slim down.

For USB-PPS applications, where the source voltage is variable, the PE26100 can reconfigure itself as a switched-capacitor charge pump with divide-by-two or divide-by-three ratios. Multiple devices can be connected in parallel to increase the total charging current. The IC also supports reverse boost up to 10 W for on-the-go and reverse wireless charging scenarios.

On the protection side, the PE26100 includes input and output undervoltage lockout, overvoltage protection, overcurrent protection, and overtemperature monitoring with warning and fault status outputs. Current, voltage, and temperature telemetry is available over I2C. The part ships in a wafer-level chip scale package.

The PE25304 High-Efficiency DC-DC Converter Module

The second announcement is the PE25304, a charge pump switching‑capacitor power module built around 48 V power architectures. It accepts input voltages from 20 V to 60 V and divides the voltage by four, targeting the 48 V battery buses increasingly found in dexterous-hand robotics and mechatronic systems.

Circuit diagram of the PE25304 DC-DC converter module for step-down conversion applications. Image used courtesy of pSemi

The PE25304 delivers up to 72 W of output power in a 2 mm profile package and carries a rated conversion efficiency of 97%. In tightly packed robotic assemblies where thermal headroom is limited, efficiency matters — less power lost as heat means less thermal management overhead. 

Beyond robotics, pSemi positions the device for drones, embedded AI modules, medical devices, and industrial automation systems wherever designers need efficient high-voltage step-down in a constrained footprint.

Power Management Solutions

Alongside the two featured parts, pSemi also demonstrated several additional products at APEC. The PE24111 is a two-stage buck regulator accepting 3.3 V input and capable of supplying up to 20 A at output voltages between 0.35 V and 0.85 V, aimed at optical transceiver and sub-10nm core applications, with a 1.2 mm profile suited to underside PCB mounting. 

The PE25213 is a switched-capacitor charge pump supporting divide-by-two and divide-by-three conversion at up to 10 A output, with efficiency reaching 99%, targeting intermediate bus conversion. The PE23108 rounds out the lineup as an eight-channel LED backlight driver that integrates a charge pump and boost regulator in a single low-profile package for panel displays.

Featured image used courtesy of pSemi, A Murata Company