System and method to profile an unconstrained power of a processor

• US 20060143486A1
• Filed: 12/28/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Rotem, Efraim, Finkelstein, Lev, Lamdan, Oren
• Application Number:
  US11/025,171
• Publication Number:
  US 20060143486A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode

Abstract

A method and system to profile unconstrained power of a CPU are provided. The method includes identifying a rate of power constraining in the CPU, identifying a threshold to activate power constraining, and determining unconstrained power of the CPU based on the rate of power constraining and the threshold.

Claims

1. A machine-readable medium having stored thereon data representing sets of instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

identify a rate of power constraining in a processor;

identify a threshold to activate power constraining; and

determine unconstrained power of the processor based on the rate of power constraining and the threshold.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein the identifying of the rate of power constraining includes monitoring power constraining for a period of time.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein the unconstrained power of the processor is determined utilizing a lookup table, the lookup table providing correlation between rates of activation and unconstrained powers.

4. The medium of claim 1, wherein the power constraining is a throttling event.

5. The medium of claim 1, further having stored thereon data representing sets of instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to:

responsive to identifying the rate of power constraining as below a predetermined activation rate, modify the threshold to generate a new threshold;

monitor power constraining in the processor to determine a new rate of power constraining; and

determine a new unconstrained power of the processor utilizing the rate of power constraining and the new threshold.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the determining of the unconstrained power of the processor is performed in real time.

7. The medium of claim 1, wherein the determining of the unconstrained power of the processor is performed offline.

8. An apparatus comprising:

a power constraining component to utilize a threshold to activate power constraining;

a throttle meter to determine a rate of power constraining in the processor; and

a power estimator manager to determine unconstrained power of the processor based on the rate of power constraining and the threshold.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the power estimator manager to designate a period of time for determining the rate of power constraining in the processor.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the power estimator manager to utilize a lookup table storing correlation between frequencies of power constraining and unconstrained powers.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the activation of power constraining is a throttling event.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the power estimator manager to:

modify the threshold to generate a new threshold responsive to identifying the rate of power constraining as below a minimal rate of power constraining;

receive from the throttling meter a new rate of power constraining based on the new threshold; and

determine a new unconstrained power of the processor utilizing the new rate of power constraining and the new threshold.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the power estimator manager to determine unconstrained power of the processor in real time.

14. A system comprising:

a controller to activate power constraining in a processor residing in a mobile device based on a threshold; and

a power estimator coupled to the controller to determine unconstrained power of the processor based on rate of power constraining and the threshold.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the power estimator includes:

a throttle meter to determine a rate of power constraining in the processor during a period of time; and

a power estimator manager to designate the period of time to the throttle meter, to receive the rate of power constraining from the throttle meter and to identify an entry in a lookup table associated with the rate of power constraining and the threshold.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the rate of power constraining is a rate of throttling events.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the power estimator to:

modify the threshold to generate a new threshold responsive to identifying the rate of power constraining as below a minimal rate of power constraining;

determine a new rate of power constraining based on the new threshold; and

determine a new unconstrained power of the processor utilizing the new rate of power constraining and the new threshold.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the power estimator to determine unconstrained power of the processor in real time.

19. A method including:

identifying a rate of power constraining in a processor;

identifying a threshold to activate power constraining; and

determining unconstrained power of the processor based on the rate of power constraining and the threshold.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the identifying of the rate of power constraining includes monitoring power constraining for a period of time.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the unconstrained power of the processor is determined utilizing a lookup table, the lookup table providing correlation between rates of activation and unconstrained powers.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the power constraining is a throttling event.

23. The method of claim 19, further including:

responsive to identifying the rate of power constraining as below a predetermined activation rate, modifying the threshold to generate a new threshold;

monitoring power constraining in the processor to determine a new rate of power constraining; and

determining a new unconstrained power of the processor utilizing the rate of power constraining and the new threshold.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining of the unconstrained power of the processor is performed in real time.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining of the unconstrained power of the processor is performed offline.