Adaptive power control based on pre package characterization of integrated circuits

• US 8,442,784 B1
• Filed: 06/05/2007
• Issued: 05/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Funding LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Read, Andrew, Wing, Malcolm, Kordus, Louis C., Stewart, Thomas E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Huynh, Phuong
• Application Number:
  US11/810,516
• Time in Patent Office: 2,170 Days
• Field of Search: 702 59- 69, 702119-126, 702182-186, 702/188
• US Class Current: 702/57
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• 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

A method and system of adaptive power control based on pre package characterization of integrated circuits. Characteristics of a specific integrated circuit are used to adaptively control power of the integrated circuit.

Claims

1. An integrated circuit comprising:

logic configured to select an operating frequency for said integrated circuit independently of operating voltage;

logic configured to access information stored within and specific to said integrated circuit, said information used to determine a voltage for operating said integrated circuit at said operating frequency, said voltage based upon characteristics of said integrated circuit; and

logic configured to operate said integrated circuit at said voltage.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1 wherein said information is encoded within said integrated circuit prior to packaging of said integrated circuit.

3. The integrated circuit as described in claim 1 further comprising logic configured to operate said integrated circuit at said operating frequency while operating at said voltage.

4. The integrated circuit as described in claim 1 wherein said characteristics of said integrated circuit comprise a temperature measurement of said integrated circuit.

5. The integrated circuit as described in claim 4 wherein said temperature measurement is made proximate to said accessing.

6. The integrated circuit as described in claim 1 wherein said information comprises a mapping into one of a plurality of sets of frequency-voltage operating points, wherein each said set comprises at least two frequency-voltage operating points.

7. The integrated circuit as described in claim 6 wherein said plurality of sets of frequency-voltage operating points are not stored in said integrated circuit.

8. An apparatus comprising:

means for selecting an operating frequency for an integrated circuit independently of operating voltage;

means for accessing information stored within and specific to said integrated circuit, said information used to determine a voltage for operating said integrated circuit at said operating frequency, said voltage based upon characteristics of said integrated circuit; and

means for operating said integrated circuit at said voltage.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said information is encoded within said integrated circuit prior to packaging of said integrated circuit.

10. The apparatus as described in claim 8 further comprising means for operating said integrated circuit at said operating frequency while operating at said voltage.

11. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein said characteristics of said integrated circuit comprise a temperature measurement of said integrated circuit.

12. The apparatus as described in claim 11 wherein said temperature measurement is made proximate to said accessing.

13. The apparatus as described in claim 8 wherein said information comprises a mapping into one of a plurality of sets of frequency-voltage operating points, wherein each said set comprises at least two frequency-voltage operating points.

14. The apparatus as described in claim 13 wherein said plurality of sets of frequency-voltage operating points are not stored in said integrated circuit.