Apple patents power sharing method for multi-chip computer systems
Apple has filed a patent for a system that manages electricity distribution across multiple connected computer chips. The design allows one chip to send power credits to another chip through intermediate chips, ensuring the middle chips do not consume the power intended for the final destination.
In the filing’s own words
Techniques are disclosed relating to managing power allocation for component circuits coupled to one or more power sources. A system can include a first integrated circuit die that is indirectly coupled to a second integrated circuit die through a set of intervening integrated circuit dies. The system can include a first power source configured to supply power to component circuits of the first and second integrated circuit dies. The first integrated circuit may allocate, to a first set of component circuits of the first integrated circuit die, a first set of power credits for obtaining power from the first power source. The first integrated circuit may send a second set of power credits to the second integrated circuit die through the set of intervening integrated circuit dies without the set of intervening integrated circuit dies using the second set of power credits to obtain power from the first power source.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A system, comprising: a plurality of integrated circuit dies, wherein a first one of the plurality of integrated circuit dies is indirectly coupled to a second one of the plurality of integrated circuit dies through a path that includes one or more intervening integrated circuit dies; and a first power source that is configured to supply power to a set of component circuits of the first and second integrated circuit dies but that is not coupled to supply power to the one or more intervening integrated circuit dies; and a second power source that is configured to supply power to the one or more intervening integrated circuit dies; wherein the first and second integrated circuit dies are configured to obtain power from the first power source based on first power credits allocated for the first power source that are actively shared between the first and second integrated circuit dies, wherein the first integrated circuit die is configured to send a set of the first power credits to the second integrated circuit die through the path without the set of first power credits being used by the one or more intervening integrated circuit dies to obtain power from the first power source.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Asymmetrical Power Sharing
- Publication number
- US20260310273A1
- Application number
- 19710968
- Filed
- Jun 17, 2026
- Published
- Oct 8, 2026
- Inventors
- 3
- Claims
- 20
Classified under
G06F 1/263 Physics & computingG06F 1/3206 Physics & computingMore from Apple in Chips & hardware
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.