Is This Power Management Chip Faulty? Seeking Your Advice

I’ve been using my laptop without any issues for about a year, accumulating over 300 battery cycles. However, yesterday, it experienced a sudden black screen during the boot process, specifically when the network service was initializing. This has led me to believe that the problem may not be related to Software or BIOS settings.

After taking my laptop to a repair technician, I was informed that it could potentially be a short circuit on the motherboard. To investigate, I gently touched various sections of the motherboard to locate any unusually hot areas. The only component that I found to be heating up significantly was the power management unit. Nestled within this unit is a small chip that appears to be damaged.

Interestingly, the power management unit only exhibits this heating behavior when the charger is plugged in, and the issue persists regardless of whether I’m using the charger or the internal battery as a power source. While I noticed warmth in several components in that vicinity, it’s difficult to determine whether the damaged chip is indeed the sole culprit. The entire area, which I’ve highlighted in red, seems to be warm to the touch.

I appreciate your time and insights—please let me know if you require any further information.