Systems and methods for distributing an aging burden among processor cores
First Claim
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1. A system for distributing aging burden among a plurality of processor cores comprising:
- a processor including the plurality of processor cores comprised of semiconductor material; and
a Power Management Unit (PMU) coupled to the processor, wherein the PMU is configured to;
track, using a plurality of different types of aging mechanisms, aging of the respective semiconductor material of the processor cores, wherein the aging mechanisms include detection of slowed frequency performance, threshold voltage variation, and substrate current level of the respective processor cores,monitor, based on the tracked plurality of different types of aging mechanisms, a difference in aging of the respective semiconductor material during respective lifetimes of the plurality of processor cores,determine whether the difference in aging between the respective semiconductor material of a first processor core of the plurality of processor cores and a second processor core of the plurality of processor cores has exceeded a predetermined threshold, andreassign, in response to determining that the difference in aging has exceeded the predetermined threshold, an instruction assigned to the first processor core of the plurality of processor cores to the second processor core of the plurality of processor cores for execution if the respective semiconductor material of the first processor core of the plurality of processor cores has aged more than the respective semiconductor material of the second processor core of the plurality of processor cores.
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Abstract
Systems and methods are presented for reducing the impact of high load and aging on processor cores in a processor. A Power Management Unit (PMU) can monitor aging, temperature, and increased load on the processor cores. The PMU instructs the processor to take action such that aging, temperature, and/or increased load are approximately evenly distributed across the processor cores, so that the processor can continue to efficiently process instructions.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for distributing aging burden among a plurality of processor cores comprising:
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a processor including the plurality of processor cores comprised of semiconductor material; and a Power Management Unit (PMU) coupled to the processor, wherein the PMU is configured to; track, using a plurality of different types of aging mechanisms, aging of the respective semiconductor material of the processor cores, wherein the aging mechanisms include detection of slowed frequency performance, threshold voltage variation, and substrate current level of the respective processor cores, monitor, based on the tracked plurality of different types of aging mechanisms, a difference in aging of the respective semiconductor material during respective lifetimes of the plurality of processor cores, determine whether the difference in aging between the respective semiconductor material of a first processor core of the plurality of processor cores and a second processor core of the plurality of processor cores has exceeded a predetermined threshold, and reassign, in response to determining that the difference in aging has exceeded the predetermined threshold, an instruction assigned to the first processor core of the plurality of processor cores to the second processor core of the plurality of processor cores for execution if the respective semiconductor material of the first processor core of the plurality of processor cores has aged more than the respective semiconductor material of the second processor core of the plurality of processor cores. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system for distributing aging burden among a plurality of processor cores comprising:
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a processor including the plurality of processor cores; and a Power Management Unit (PMU) coupled to the processor, wherein the PMU is configured to; track aging of the plurality of processor cores based on changes in device characteristics of the respective plurality of processor cores, wherein the changes in device characteristics comprise slowed frequency performance, threshold voltage variation, and substrate current level in the respective processor cores, monitor a difference in aging among the plurality of processor cores, rotate execution of an application among the plurality of processor cores based on a predetermined aging scheme such that; the plurality of processor cores age approximately evenly over respective lifetimes of the plurality of processor cores, the difference in aging among the plurality of processor cores does not exceed a predetermined aging threshold, and the execution of the application is transferred from a first processor core of the plurality of processor cores to a second processor core of the plurality of processor cores in response to determining that a first aging threshold corresponding to the first processor core of the plurality of processor cores has been reached and the second processor core of the plurality of processor cores has aged less than the first processor core of the plurality of processor cores. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. A system for distributing aging burden among a plurality of processor cores comprising:
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a first processor core; a second processor core; and a Power Management Unit (PMU) coupled to the first processor core and the second processor core, wherein the PMU is configured to; monitor changes in device characteristics of the first processor core and the second processor core, wherein the changes in device characteristics comprise slowed frequency performance, threshold voltage variation, and substrate current level in the respective processor cores, determine, based on the monitored changes in device characteristics, whether semiconductor material of the first processor core has aged faster than semiconductor material of the second processor core so that a difference in aging between the semiconductor material of the first processor core and the semiconductor material of the second processor core has exceeded a predetermined aging threshold, and reassign, in response to determining that the difference in aging has exceeded the predetermined aging threshold, an instruction assigned to the first processor core to the second processor core for execution if the semiconductor material of the first processor core has aged more than the semiconductor material of the second processor core. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20)
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Specification