It should also simplify the design of redundancy architectures, eliminating the single-point-of-failure scenario. From the server designer's standpoint, it will also speed the product to market.

The open standard is driven by the convergence of the networking and PC environments, and is an inevitable consequence of higher power densities, extreme thermal environments and reliability worries. It complements in many ways the ACPI objectives.

The end result will be universal specification and compatibility for power architectures from entry-level to sophisticated systems. Users will also gain the comfort of knowing, at least in theory, that technologies yet to come won't force us to change basic architectures every two seconds.

"We're going to have much better diagnostics for failure modes, yielding significant improvement in maintenance," said Bill Yeates, vice president and general manager for Lucent Technologies' Titania division (Austin, Texas).

How long before the effort really picks up steam? One to two years, by most accounts. The basic roadblocks to implementation, noted Yeates, involve developing suitable logic circuitry so that the supply can communicate with the host.

The first step is basically an A/D conversion problem that's not expected to create much difficulty. But like ACPI, it will cost more-presently about $1 to $2 per supply. That will have to come down to a few cents.

As for the solution, expect to see those logic functions integrated right into the converter's PWM controller very soon.