The PAC1934 IC from Microchip Technology is a precision power monitoring chip. This device utilizes a Microchip software driver that is fully compatible with the Energy Estimation Engine (E3) built into the Windows 10 operating system to provide 99 percent accuracy on all battery powered Windows 10 devices. The PAC1934 is designed to measure voltage rails as low as 0 V and as high as 32 V and can measure power of the display, CPU, storage, network, total, and other system components with high accuracy. It is this ability that allows the chip to accurately measure power usage from simple core processing unit (CPU) tasks all the way up to software running on devices that connect through a USB Type-C™ connector. The four-channels in the device with 16-bit power measurement and a 17 minute plus accumulation register make it an ideal solution for determining power consumption and energy usage without the need for voltage or current range adjustments.

The device has capabilities that could also make it an integral part in future software upgrades. Through bidirectional measurement, meaning it has the ability to measure both battery charging and battery discharge, it is well suited for upcoming USB Type-C charging topologies as they are developed and become more widely used. In addition, the device functions as a standard high-side current sensor for use in server, networking, automotive, and industrial applications. Microchip is also actively working to support the PAC1934 in Linux for various applications.