Method and apparatus for reducing clock frequency during low workload periods
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- when a processor is operating in a first state, monitoring the processor'"'"'s operation for a first set of selected conditions, the processor having a plurality of functional units, the plurality of functional units receiving a clock signal with a first frequency when the processor is operating in the first state, the first set of selected conditions being indicative of a low workload period in the processor;
selecting a grace period from a plurality of programmable grace periods based on detecting which one of the first set of selected conditions is satisfied, wherein each of the plurality of programmable grace periods stores a different grace period to allow completion or processing of a different event;
waiting for the selected grace period to expire after detecting that the one of the first set of selected conditions is satisfied; and
causing the processor to operate in a second state after expiration of the selected grace period, wherein in the second state the clock signal has a second frequency that is less than the first frequency, wherein one of the plurality of programmable grace periods is used to allow one or more pending store operations to be processed prior to the processor operating in the second state.
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Abstract
A clock frequency control unit for an integrated circuit (IC) includes a clock generator, a finite state machine (FSM), and a gating circuit (GC). The FSM has at least first and second states corresponding to non-low workload low workload states, respectively. In the first state, the GC provides a clock signal to functional units of the IC with the same frequency as the clock generator output. In the second state, the GC reduces the frequency of the clock signal. In one embodiment, the GC masks out selected cycles of the clock generator output to reduce the clock signal frequency. The FSM monitors the operation of the IC to transition from the first state to the second state when selected “low workload” conditions are detected (e.g., long latency cache miss). Similarly, the FSM transitions from the second state to the first state when selected “non-low workload” conditions are detected.
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Citations
11 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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when a processor is operating in a first state, monitoring the processor'"'"'s operation for a first set of selected conditions, the processor having a plurality of functional units, the plurality of functional units receiving a clock signal with a first frequency when the processor is operating in the first state, the first set of selected conditions being indicative of a low workload period in the processor; selecting a grace period from a plurality of programmable grace periods based on detecting which one of the first set of selected conditions is satisfied, wherein each of the plurality of programmable grace periods stores a different grace period to allow completion or processing of a different event; waiting for the selected grace period to expire after detecting that the one of the first set of selected conditions is satisfied; and causing the processor to operate in a second state after expiration of the selected grace period, wherein in the second state the clock signal has a second frequency that is less than the first frequency, wherein one of the plurality of programmable grace periods is used to allow one or more pending store operations to be processed prior to the processor operating in the second state. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification