Abstract: Dynamic interrupt steering remaps the handling of interrupts away from processor units executing important workloads. During the operation of a computing system, important workload utilization rates for processor units handling interrupts are determined and those processor units with utilization rates about a threshold value are made unavailable for handling interrupts. Interrupts are dynamically remapped to processor units available for interrupt handling based on processor unit idle state and, in the case of heterogeneous computing systems, processor unit type. Processor units are capable of idle state demotion by, in response to receiving a request to enter into a deep idle state, determining if its interrupt handling rate is greater than a threshold value, and if so, placing itself into a shallower idle state than requested. This avoids the computing system from incurring the expensive idle state exit latency and power costs associated with exiting from a deep idle state.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a processor includes processing cores to execute instructions; and throttling logic. The throttling logic is to: determine an average capacitance score for execution events in a sliding window; perform frequency throttling when the average capacitance score exceeds a throttling threshold; determine a count of frequency throttling instances; and in response to a determination that the count of frequency throttling instances exceeds a maximum throttling value, increase the throttling threshold and concurrently reduce a baseline frequency. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a processor core has one or more execution units, a first memory array having a first protection circuit to provide soft error protection to the first memory array, and a control circuit. A power controller coupled to the core may include a protection control circuit, in response to an update to an operating voltage to be provided to the core, to cause the core to disable the first protection circuit. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: An adaptive or dynamic power virus control scheme (hardware and/or software) that dynamically adjusts maximum dynamic capacitance (CdynMax) and corresponding maximum frequency (POnMax) setting per application executed on a processor core. A power management unit monitors telemetry such as a number of throttled cycles due to CdynMax threshold excursions cycles for the processor core and a cost of average cycle Cdyn cost for the processor core. As the number of throttling cycles increases for the processor core, the aCode firmware of the power management unit decides to increase the Cdyn level or threshold for that core (e.g., to make the threshold less aggressive). As the average Cdyn cost over a number of cycles becomes lower than a threshold, aCode adjusts the threshold to a lower threshold (e.g., more aggressive threshold) and lower Cdyn.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for intelligent power virus protection in a processor. For example, one embodiment of a processor comprises: first circuitry including an instruction fetch circuit to fetch instructions, each instruction comprising an instruction type and an associated width comprising a number of bits associated with source and/or destination operand values associated with the instruction; detection circuitry to detect one or more instructions of a particular type and/or width; evaluation circuitry to evaluate an impact of power virus protection (PVP) circuitry when executing the one or more instructions based on the detected instruction types and/or widths; and control circuitry, based on the evaluation, to configure the PVP circuitry in accordance with the evaluation performed by the evaluation circuitry.

Abstract: Embodiments include an autonomous core perimeter, configured to save the state of a core of a multi-core processor prior to the processor package being placed into a low-power state. The autonomous core perimeter of each core is configured to save an image of a microcontroller firmware to an external store if it has not been previously saved by another core, along with the unique working state information of that core's microcontroller. Upon restore, the single microcontroller firmware image is retrieved from the external store and pushed to each core along with each core's unique working state.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described, which prior to an event that could result in frequency overshoot, sends a signal to a voltage regulator or generator requesting a temporary supply voltage and/or current boost. This enables a clocking source, such as a phase locked loop (PLL) to lock fast while not needing any long-term voltage guard bands. The apparatus and scheme allows for on-the-fly change in supply voltage and/or clock frequency for a processor with little to no impact on Vmin. During the clock frequency overshoot, the supply voltage is temporarily boosted and then reduced down to the expected voltage level of the power supply. Such boost allows for absorbing the clock frequency overshoot impact. The supply voltage level can be reduced in a step-wise fashion to avoid any potential undershoot in clock frequency.

Abstract: A parallel multi-step power management flow apparatus and method for using the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, an integrated circuit comprises a plurality of processing entities to execute operations, a power controller coupled to the plurality of processing entities to control power management for the plurality of processing entities, and a plurality of agents, where each of the plurality of agents is operable to perform a power control flow for one of the processing entities by separately scheduling, using a scheduler, and executing a plurality of power control flow phases in response to a plurality of requests received from the power controller, and each agent is operable to send a plurality of acknowledgements, one acknowledgement for each phase, upon completion of the plurality of power control flow phases.

Abstract: A system for communication using a register management array circuit is disclosed, including a processor, including a processing core, the processing core including a local core register, a register management array circuit coupled to the local core register, and a remote circuit coupled to the register management array circuit, the remote circuit including a remote register. The register management array circuit includes circuitry to cause the data in the local core register to match the data in the remote register. Methods and circuits are also disclosed.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a processor includes a power control unit, a master processing engine, a set of slave processing engines, and a voltage regulator. The master processing engine is to, in response to a receipt of a change message from the power control unit, control the voltage regulator to adjust a voltage level provided to the master processing engine and the set of slave processing engines. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a processor includes processing cores to execute instructions; and throttling logic. The throttling logic is to: determine an average capacitance score for execution events in a sliding window; perform frequency throttling when the average capacitance score exceeds a throttling threshold; determine a count of frequency throttling instances; and in response to a determination that the count of frequency throttling instances exceeds a maximum throttling value, increase the throttling threshold and concurrently reduce a baseline frequency. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: An apparatus and method are described, which prior to an event that could result in frequency overshoot, sends a signal to a voltage regulator or generator requesting a temporary supply voltage and/or current boost. This enables a clocking source, such as a phase locked loop (PLL) to lock fast while not needing any long-term voltage guard bands. The apparatus and scheme allows for on-the-fly change in supply voltage and/or clock frequency for a processor with little to no impact on Vmin During the clock frequency overshoot, the supply voltage is temporarily boosted and then reduced down to the expected voltage level of the power supply. Such boost allows for absorbing the clock frequency overshoot impact. The supply voltage level can be reduced in a step-wise fashion to avoid any potential undershoot in clock frequency.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a processor includes processing engines to execute instructions and power limit logic. The power limit logic is to: in response to a plurality of power spikes, perform a number of soft throttling events and a number of hard throttling events in a first processing engine; determine a ratio of the soft throttling events to the hard throttling events; compare the determined ratio to a desired goal; and adjust one or more throttling parameters in response to a determination that the determined ratio does not match the desired goal. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: A local power control arbiter is provided to interface with a global power control unit of a processing platform having a plurality of processing entities. The local power control arbiter controls a local processing unit of the processing platform. The local power arbiter has an interface to receive from the global power control unit, a local performance limit allocated to the local processing unit depending on a global power control evaluation and processing circuitry to determine any change to one or more processing conditions prevailing in the local processing unit on a timescale shorter than a duration for which the local performance limit is applied to the local processing unit by the global power control unit and to select a performance level for the local processing unit depending on both the local performance limit and the determined change, if any, to the prevailing processing conditions on the local processing unit.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises: a plurality of intellectual property (IP) circuits, each of the plurality of IP circuits including a configuration register to store a dynamic current budget; and a power controller coupled to the plurality of IP circuits, the power controller including a dynamic current sharing control circuit to receive current throttling hint information regarding a workload to be executed on at least some of the plurality of IP circuits and generate the dynamic current budget for each of the plurality of IP circuits based at least in part thereon. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: An integrated circuit includes technology for providing out-of-band (OOB) processor telemetry. The integrated circuit comprises a processor comprising a core and a distributed core perimeter. The integrated circuit also comprises a telemetry push agent in the distributed core perimeter, and an OOB telemetry manager in the core to operate out of band and to send telemetry data for the processor to the telemetry push agent. The telemetry push agent comprises control logic to (a) receive the telemetry data from the OOB telemetry manager and (b) forward at least some of the telemetry data to in-band telemetry software. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: An apparatus, including: a deterministic monitored device; an interconnect to communicatively couple the monitored device to a support circuit; a super queue to queue transactions between the monitored device and the support circuit, the super queue including an operational segment and a shadow segment; a debug data structure; and a system management agent to monitor transactions in the operational segment, log corresponding transaction identifiers in the shadow segment, and write debug data to the debug data structure, wherein the debug data are at least partly based on the corresponding transaction identifiers.

Abstract: Apparatuses, methods and storage medium associated with current control for a multicore processor are disclosed herein. In embodiments, a multicore processor may include a plurality of analog current comparators, each analog current comparator to measure current utilization by a corresponding one of the cores of the multicore processor. The multicore processor may include one or more processors, devices, and/or circuitry to cause the cores to individually throttle based on measurements from the corresponding analog current comparators. In some embodiments, a memory device of the multicore processor may store instructions executable to operate a plurality power management agents to determine whether to send throttle requests based on a plurality of histories of the current measurements of the cores, respectively.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods are provided for improving yield and frequency performance of integrated circuit processors, such as multiple-core processors. In an example, an apparatus can include a plurality of clock buffers, each clock buffer of the plurality of clock buffers configured to receive a first clock signal and distribute a plurality of second clock signals, a one-time programmable locate critical path mechanism configured provide a plurality of indications to enable or disable a delay of each clock buffer of the plurality of clock buffers, and a power management control circuit configured to over-ride one or more of the plurality of indications in a first non-test mode of operation of the apparatus and to not over-ride the one or more indications in a second non-test mode of operation of the apparatus.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a processor includes processing cores to execute instructions; and throttling logic. The throttling logic is to: determine an average capacitance score for execution events in a sliding window; perform frequency throttling when the average capacitance score exceeds a throttling threshold; determine a count of frequency throttling instances; and in response to a determination that the count of frequency throttling instances exceeds a maximum throttling value, increase the throttling threshold and concurrently reduce a baseline frequency. Other embodiments are described and claimed.