The ADP3154 is a highly efficient synchronous buck switching regulator controller optimized for converting the 5 V main supply into the core supply voltage required by the Pentium III and other high performance processors. The ADP3154 uses an internal 5-bit DAC to read a voltage identification (VID) code directly from the processor, which is used to set the output voltage between 1.3 V and 3.5 V. The ADP3154 uses a current mode, constant off-time architecture to drive two external Nchannel MOSFETs at a programmable switching frequency that can be optimized for size and efficiency. It also uses a unique supplemental regulation technique called active voltage positioning to enhance load transient performance. Active voltage positioning results in a dc/dc converter that meets the stringent output voltage specifications for Pentium II and Pentium III processors, with the minimum number of output capacitors and smallest footprint. Unlike voltage-mode and standard current-mode architectures, active voltage positioning adjusts the output voltage as a function of the load current so that it is always optimally positioned for a system transient. The ADP3154 provides accurate and reliable short circuit protection and adjustable current limiting. It also includes an integrated overvoltage crowbar function to protect the microprocessor from destruction in case the core supply exceeds the nominal programmed voltage by more than 15%.