Green Plug Announces ‘Smart’ Green Power Processor™ (GPP) At International CES® 2011, Hails ‘Digital Power Revolution’

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Green Plug (www.greenplug.us), the first developer of digital technology enabling communication between electronic devices and their power sources, today introduced its Green Power Processor™ (GPP), an advanced System-on-Chip (SoC) that enables CE manufacturers to design digital power adapter architectures that save energy by facilitating communication between the power source and the connected device. The GPP will be available in the second quarter of 2011. The company made the announcement at International CES® 2011, here through Jan. 9.

“GPP is the ideal combination of mixed signal technology, multi-threaded hardware, advanced low-power features and optimizations that make GPP the right platform for rapid development of modern, efficient power supply designs”

On Friday, Jan. 7, Kevin Jones, Green Plug VP of Engineering, will discuss this and other developments during a CES panel on electronics and energy efficiency sponsored by CNET http://www.cesweb.org/conferenceProgram/search/sessionDetails.asp?sessionid=4134.

“Green Plug is leading the industry in bringing intelligence, power monitoring and advanced control to AC/DC power adapters and the consumer device ecosystem,” said Frank P. Paniagua, Jr., founder and CEO of Green Plug. “With the development and introduction of the Green Plug Green Power Processor, chip makers and power supply manufacturers now have the technology they need to undertake the transition from clunky black bricks and wall warts to sleek, efficient digital power adapter architectures capable of exchanging information between the power source and the load and adjusting power use according to product need. We’re confident that the development of the Green Power Processor signals the beginning of the move away from analog power supplies toward smart digital power adapters.”

The GPP is based on the high-performance, low-power META MTP Core from Imagination Technologies Group plc (LSE:IMG). It offers CE power supply designers and developers two independent hardware threads, primarily single-cycle instructions, and a variety of advanced low-power features and optimizations for AC/DC and DC/DC power conversions.

“GPP is the ideal combination of mixed signal technology, multi-threaded hardware, advanced low-power features and optimizations that make GPP the right platform for rapid development of modern, efficient power supply designs,” Paniagua said. “Practically speaking, it’s a major salvo in the ‘digital power revolution’ – an acknowledgment that analog adapters have hit a wall where cost and energy consumption are concerned.

“Indeed, the era of digital power has arrived,” he said. “Digital means smart, rendering antiquated and inflexible analog controllers for power supply designs obsolete. Digital means easy re-use of power supply designs for new products.”

The GPP is customizable to the power supply design by input parameter selection or fully custom code images. Feedback loops, switching frequencies and overload detection thresholds are adjustable by software, allowing a variable power supply to be designed with maximum output range and efficiency at each set point. GPP also offers developers the ability to modify their power adapter designs in real time using embedded development tools, thereby significantly reducing development cycle time.

While the GPP provides control and communication on the power supply, another Green Plug innovation, the Green Load Processor (GLP), provides communication and functionality on the electronic device. When enabled along with Green Plug’s GreenTalk™ digital communication software and hardware protocol stack and GreenWire™ multi-function physical layer technology, manufacturers have the flexibility to offer power adapters that can communicate changes in power requirements, such as higher or lower voltage, or to shut off completely when not in use.

Founded in 2006, Green Plug burst onto the scene in 2008 with a commitment to bring advanced digital technology and innovation to a largely ignored analog product space – the ubiquitous DC power adapter bundled with nearly every consumer electronic device. With Green Plug technology, electronics manufacturers now have the ability to replace the estimated 2.2 billion analog power adapters shipped each year with more efficient and feature-rich digitally controlled power adapters.

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About Green Plug

Green Plug develops and licenses innovative technology and components that enable consumer electronics manufacturers to upgrade from traditional analog power adapters to “smart” digital controllers that save power and significantly reduce environmental waste. The company is the first developer of digital technology enabling communication between electronic devices and their power sources. Its advanced System-on-Chip (SoC) Green Power Processor (GPP), Green Load Processor (GLP), Greentalk™ digital power protocol and Greenwire™ multi-function physical layer technology offer electronics manufacturers the flexibility they need to usher in a new era of smart digital power adapters and meet consumer demands for a greener environment. Green Plug is privately held and headquartered in San Ramon, Calif.