Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120159074 | METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION INCLUDING DYNAMIC CACHE SIZING AND CACHE OPERATING VOLTAGE MANAGEMENT FOR OPTIMAL POWER PERFORMANCE - Embodiments of the invention relate to increased energy efficiency and conservation by reducing and increasing an amount of cache available for use by a processor, and an amount of power supplied to the cache and to the processor, based on the amount of cache actually being used by the processor to process data. For example, a power control unit (PCU) may monitor a last level cache (LLC) to identify if the size or amount of the cache being used by a processor to process data and to determine heuristics based on that amount. Based on the monitored amount of cache being used and the heuristics, the PCU causes a corresponding decrease or increase in an amount of the cache available for use by the processor, and a corresponding decrease or increase in an amount of power supplied to the cache and to the processor. | 06-21-2012 |
20120166839 | METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION INCLUDING ENERGY EFFICIENT PROCESSOR THERMAL THROTTLING USING DEEP POWER DOWN MODE - Embodiments of the invention relate to energy efficient and conserving thermal throttling of electronic device processors using a zero voltage processor state. For example, a processor die may include a power control unit (PCU), and an execution unit having power gates and a thermal sensor. The PCU is attached to the thermal sensor to determine if a temperature of the execution unit has increased to greater than an upper threshold, such as while the execution unit is processing data in an active processor power state. The PCU is also attached to the power gates so that upon such detection, it can change the active processor power state to a zero processor power state to reduce the temperature of the execution unit. When the sensor detects that the temperature has decreased to less than a lower threshold, the PCU can change the processor power state back to the active state. | 06-28-2012 |
20120166852 | METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND ENERGY CONSERVATION INCLUDING IMPROVED PROCESSOR CORE DEEP POWER DOWN EXIT LATENCY BY USING REGISTER SECONDARY UNINTERRUPTED POWER SUPPLY - Embodiments of the invention relate to improving exit latency from computing device processor core deep power down. Processor state data may be maintained during deep power down mode by providing a secondary uninterrupted voltage supply to always on keeper circuits that reside within critical state registers of the processor. When these registers receive a control signal indicating that the processor power state is going to be reduced from an active processor power state to a zero processor power state, they write critical state data from the critical state register latches to the keeper circuits that are supplied with the uninterrupted power. Then, when a register receives a control signal indicating that a processor power state of the processor is going to be increased back to an active processor power state, the critical state data stored in the keeper circuits is written back to the critical state register latches. | 06-28-2012 |
20120198207 | ASYMMETRIC PERFORMANCE MULTICORE ARCHITECTURE WITH SAME INSTRUCTION SET ARCHITECTURE - A method is described that entails operating enabled cores of a multi-core processor such that both cores support respective software routines with a same instruction set, a first core being higher performance and consuming more power than a second core under a same set of applied supply voltage and operating frequency. | 08-02-2012 |
20140026146 | MIGRATING THREADS BETWEEN ASYMMETRIC CORES IN A MULTIPLE CORE PROCESSOR - Some implementations provide techniques and arrangements to migrate threads from a first core of a processor to a second core of the processor. For example, some implementations may identify one or more threads scheduled for execution at a processor. The processor may include a plurality of cores, including a first core having a first characteristic and a second core have a second characteristic that is different than the first characteristic. Execution of the one or more threads by the first core may be initiated. A determination may be made whether to apply a migration policy. In response to determining to apply the migration policy, migration of the one or more threads from the first core to the second core may be initiated. | 01-23-2014 |
20140032950 | METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING FREQUENCY AND PERFORMANCE IN A MULTIDIE MICROPROCESSOR - With the progress toward multi-core processors, each core is can not readily ascertain the status of the other dies with respect to an idle or active status. A proposal for utilizing an interface to transmit core status among multiple cores in a multi-die microprocessor is discussed. Consequently, this facilitates thermal management by allowing an optimal setting for setting performance and frequency based on utilizing each core status. | 01-30-2014 |
20140108849 | METHOD, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEM FOR OPTIMIZING FREQUENCY AND PERFORMANCE IN A MULTIDIE MICROPROCESSOR - With the progress toward multi-core processors, each core is can not readily ascertain the status of the other dies with respect to an idle or active status. A proposal for utilizing an interface to transmit core status among multiple cores in a multi-die microprocessor is discussed. Consequently, this facilitates thermal management by allowing an optimal setting for setting performance and frequency based on utilizing each core status. | 04-17-2014 |
20140189225 | Independent Control Of Processor Core Retention States - In an embodiment, a processor includes a first processor core, a second processor core, a first voltage regulator to provide a first voltage to the first processor core with a first active value when the first processor core is active, and a second voltage regulator to provide a second voltage to the second processor core with a second active value when the second processor core is active. Responsive to a request to place the first processor core in a first low power state with an associated first low power voltage value, the first voltage regulator is to reduce the first voltage to a second low power voltage value that is less than the first low power voltage value, independent of the second voltage regulator. First data stored in a first register of the first processor core is retained at the second low power value. Other embodiments are described and claimed. | 07-03-2014 |
20140359311 | Controlling Power Delivery To A Processor Via A Bypass - In one embodiment, a processor includes a plurality of domains each to operate at an independently controllable voltage and frequency, a plurality of linear regulators each to receive a first voltage from an off-chip source and controllable to provide a regulated voltage to at least one of the plurality of domains, and a plurality of selectors each coupled to one of the domains, where each selector is configured to provide a regulated voltage from one of the linear regulators or a bypass voltage to a corresponding domain. Other embodiments are described and claimed. | 12-04-2014 |