onsemi agrees to buy Ferric for integrated processor power delivery
onsemi has agreed to acquire Ferric for $600 million in cash, with up to $175 million more tied to revenue milestones, adding integrated voltage-regulator technology to its processor power-delivery portfolio. Completion is expected by the end of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. [1]
Ferric combines control circuitry, power switches, inductors and capacitors in compact multiphase converters that can sit close to the processor. Shortening the high-current path between regulator and load is central to the approach, which the companies expect to support more demanding AI processors. [1][2]
Ferric’s existing Fe1766 is a 16-phase buck converter with a 1.2–2.0 V input range, a 0.25–1.5 V output range and a 160 A thermal design current in 35.5 mm². Its input range places it near the end of the power-conversion chain, where it regulates a low-voltage rail down to the voltage required by the load. An upstream conversion stage must still supply that input rail. [2]
The company offers several ways to position its converters, depending on the package and assembly. Its integration documentation covers attachment beside the processor die, on the land side of the package and on the back of a PCB, as well as embedding within a substrate or board. The choice changes where the regulator sits relative to the processor and how it becomes part of the assembly. [3]
onsemi says the acquisition would bring approximately 50 employees, primarily in New York and Silicon Valley. It plans to fund the transaction from cash on hand and expects no meaningful near-term financial impact. [1]
Sources
- onsemi, Ferric acquisition agreement and closing conditions, 2 November 2026
- Ferric, existing IVR product specifications
- Ferric, package and PCB integration approaches
A motherboard voltage-regulator circuit around a processor socket. Illustrative photograph, not a Ferric converter. Photo: StefanEnDev / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0). Image source. CC0 1.0. Resized for web.
