DYNAMIC POWER DISTRIBUTION

• US 20140148927A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 05/29/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bose, Pradip, Buyuktosunoglu, Alper, Jacobson, Hans M.
• Granted Patent: US 9,298,234 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/324 by lowering clock frequency
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3296 by lowering the supply or operating voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a method for dynamically sharing power grids of a device includes providing power from a first power supply to a first power grid in a first component of the device. The method also includes providing power from a second power supply to a second power grid in a second component of the device and dynamically changing, by a controller, a state of a first switch that controls a sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid during a runtime of the device.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically sharing power grids of a device, the method comprising:

providing power from a first power supply to a first power grid in a first component of the device;

providing power from a second power supply to a second power grid in a second component of the device; and

dynamically changing, by a controller, a state of a first switch that controls a sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid during a runtime of the device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically changing, by the controller, a state of a second switch that controls isolation of the first power grid from the first power supply.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising dynamically changing, by the controller, a state of a third switch that that controls isolation of the second power grid from the second power supply.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a first operation mode for the first power grid;

determining a second operation mode for the second power grid;

determining a first runtime parameter relating to power provided to the first power grid; and

determining a second runtime parameter relating to power provided to the second power grid, wherein dynamically changing the state of the first switch that controls the sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid comprises dynamically changing the state of the first switch based on at least one selected from the group consisting of;

the first operation mode, the second operation mode, the first runtime parameter and the second runtime parameter.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first operation mode comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a turbo mode for the first component supplied by the first power grid, a dynamic voltage scaling for the first power grid, a dynamic frequency scaling for the first component supplied by the first power grid, a noise mode for the first power grid, a dynamic power gating for the first power grid and a reliability mode for the first component supplied by the first power grid; and

the second operation mode comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of;

a turbo mode for the second component supplied by the second power grid, a dynamic voltage scaling for the second power grid, a dynamic frequency scaling for the second component supplied by the second power grid, a noise mode for the second power grid, a dynamic power gating for the second power grid and a reliability mode for the second component supplied by the second power grid.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the first and second runtime parameters each comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a voltage provided to the first power grid, a voltage provided to the second power grid, a temperature of the first component supplied by the first power grid, a temperature of a second component supplied by the second power grid, a critical path delay of the first component, a critical path delay of the second component, a current of the first power grid, a current of the second power grid, a power of the first component, a power of the second component, a soft error rate of the first component, a soft error rate of the second component, a hard error rate of the first component, a hard error rate of the second component, a noise of the first power grid, a noise of the second power grid, an operation frequency of the first component, and an operation frequency of the second component.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein dynamically changing, by the controller, the state of the first switch that controls sharing of power comprises controlling the state of the first switch that controls sharing of power based on the determined parameter and a logic stored in the controller.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein determining the first runtime parameter comprises determining the first runtime parameter by a first sensor and wherein determining the second runtime parameter comprises determining the second runtime parameter by a second sensor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically changing, by the controller, the state of the first switch that controls sharing of power comprises controlling the state of the first switch that controls sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid located on a single layer of the device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein dynamically changing, by the controller, the state of the first switch that controls sharing of power comprises controlling the state of the first switch that controls sharing of power between the first power grid located on a first layer of the device and the second power grid located on a second layer of the device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein dynamically changing, by the controller, the state of the first switch that controls sharing of power comprises:

controlling the state of the first switch that connects a first internal point in the first power grid to a second internal point in the second power grid; and

controlling the state of a second switch that connects a third internal point in the first power grid to a fourth internal point in the second power grid.

12-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A method for dynamically sharing power grids of separate components of a device, the method comprising:

providing power to a first power grid in a first component;

providing power to a second power grid in a second component;

determining an operation mode for the first power grid or the second power grid;

determining a runtime parameter relating to power provided to the first power grid or relating to power provided to the second power grid; and

dynamically controlling a sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid based on logic in a controller and at least one of;

the determined operation mode and the determined runtime parameter.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein dynamically controlling the sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid further comprises dynamically controlling the sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid based on commands from a system manager, logic in the controller and at least one of:

the operation mode and the runtime parameter.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein dynamically controlling the sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid further comprises controlling a state of a first switch that controls sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising dynamically controlling a state of a second switch that controls isolation of the first power grid from a first power supply.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising dynamically controlling a state of a third switch that controls isolation of the second power grid from a second power supply.

26. The method of claim 21, wherein determining the runtime parameter comprises determining the runtime parameter by a sensor.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein the operation mode comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a turbo mode for the first component supplied by the first power grid, a dynamic voltage scaling for the first power grid, a dynamic frequency scaling for the first component supplied by the first power grid, a noise mode for the first power grid, a dynamic power gating for the first power grid and a reliability mode for the first component supplied by the first power grid; and

the second operation mode comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of;

a turbo mode for the second component supplied by the second power grid, a dynamic voltage scaling for the second power grid, a dynamic frequency scaling for the second component supplied by the second power grid, a noise mode for the second power grid, a dynamic power gating for the second power grid and a reliability mode for the second component supplied by the second power grid.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein the runtime parameter comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of:

a voltage provided to the first power grid, a voltage provided to the second power grid, a temperature of the first component supplied by the first power grid, a temperature of a second component supplied by the second power grid, a critical path delay of the first component, a critical path delay of the second component, a current of the first power grid, a current of the second power grid, a power of the first component, a power of the second component, a soft error rate of the first component, a soft error rate of the second component, a hard error rate of the first component, a hard error rate of the second component, a noise of the first power grid, a noise of the second power grid, an operation frequency of the first component, and an operation frequency of the second component.

29. The method of claim 21, wherein dynamically controlling the sharing of power between the first power grid and the second power grid further comprises controlling the sharing of power between the first power grid located on a first layer of the device and the second power grid located on a second layer of the device.