Abstract: The increasing power density and, therefore, current consumption of high performance integrated circuits (ICs) results in increased challenges in the design of a reliable and efficient on-chip power delivery network. In particular, meeting the stringent on-chip impedance of the IC requires circuit and system techniques to mitigate high frequency noise that results due to resonance between the package inductance and the onchip capacitance. In this paper, a novel circuit technique is proposed to suppress high frequency noise through the use of a hyperabrupt junction tuning varactor diode as a decoupling capacitor for noise critical functional blocks. With the proposed circuit technique, the voltage droops and overshoots on the onchip power distribution network are suppressed by up to 60% as compared to MIM or deep trench decoupling capacitors of the same capacitance.

Abstract: A real-time workload scheduling heuristic assigns tasks to the cores such that the total load current consumption of the cores is always less than the total current capability of the under-provisioned on-chip voltage regulators. In addition, the energy-efficient scheduling of the tasks on to the cores ensures that the reconfiguration of the power delivery network is minimized. The heuristic includes DVFS management based on the unique constraints of the under provisioned voltage regulators.

Abstract: An on-chip voltage delivery method for a system includes multiple processor cores operating at multiple voltage levels. Distributed on-chip DC-DC converters as voltage regulators may deliver point of load current to the different units of a processor core operating at the same voltage level. Distributed timing sensors calibrated to generate digitized clock edge location. A power management unit may take input from the timing sensors, processes it through a particle swarm optimizer and generates digitized voltage identification code as reference to the distributed voltage regulators. The particle swarm optimizer may provide disparate voltage levels feasible for a given frequency of operation of the processor core with a provision to operate at multiple frequencies. The run-time assignment of the voltage through the particle swarm optimizer may negate the effects of transistor aging, process, temperature, and power supply noise induced variation in the load circuits, voltage regulators and sensors.

Abstract: A voltage droop mitigation system, that includes a first processor core that executes computer executable components stored in a memory. A time-based sensor component generates digital data representing voltage values associated with a power supply. A filtering component digitally conditions the generated digital data, and an analysis component analyzes the conditioned data and determines slope of the power supply voltage and employs counters to determine rate of data change over time; and if the slope is negative and exceeds a first pre-determined value for a pre-determined time period. The system implements one or more voltage droop-reduction techniques at the first processor core; and the first processor core transmits at least one of the following types of information: its voltage value, slope information or decision to apply droop reduction to one or more other cores.

Abstract: A voltage droop mitigation system, that includes a first processor core that executes computer executable components stored in a memory. A time-based sensor component generates digital data representing voltage values associated with a power supply. A filtering component digitally conditions the generated digital data, and an analysis component analyzes the conditioned data and determines slope of the power supply voltage and employs counters to determine rate of data change over time; and if the slope is negative and exceeds a first pre-determined value for a pre-determined time period. The system implements one or more voltage droop-reduction techniques at the first processor core; and the first processor core transmits at least one of the following types of information: its voltage value, slope information or decision to apply droop reduction to one or more other cores.

Abstract: The increasing power density and, therefore, current consumption of high performance integrated circuits (ICs) results in increased challenges in the design of a reliable and efficient on-chip power delivery network. In particular, meeting the stringent on-chip impedance of the IC requires circuit and system techniques to mitigate high frequency noise that results due to resonance between the package inductance and the onchip capacitance. In this paper, a novel circuit technique is proposed to suppress high frequency noise through the use of a hyperabrupt junction tuning varactor diode as a decoupling capacitor for noise critical functional blocks. With the proposed circuit technique, the voltage droops and overshoots on the onchip power distribution network are suppressed by up to 60% as compared to MIM or deep trench decoupling capacitors of the same capacitance.

Abstract: A voltage droop mitigation system, that includes a first processor core that executes computer executable components stored in a memory. A time-based sensor component generates digital data representing voltage values associated with a power supply. A filtering component digitally conditions the generated digital data, and an analysis component analyzes the conditioned data and determines slope of the power supply voltage and employs counters to determine rate of data change over time; and if the slope is negative and exceeds a first pre-determined value for a pre-determined time period. The system implements one or more voltage droop-reduction techniques at the first processor core; and the first processor core transmits at least one of the following types of information: its voltage value, slope information or decision to apply droop reduction to one or more other cores.

Abstract: A real-time workload scheduling heuristic assigns tasks to the cores such that the total load current consumption of the cores is always less than the total current capability of the under-provisioned on-chip voltage regulators. In addition, the energy-efficient scheduling of the tasks on to the cores ensures that the reconfiguration of the power delivery network is minimized. The heuristic includes DVFS management based on the unique constraints of the under provisioned voltage regulators.

Abstract: A voltage droop mitigation system, that includes a first processor core that executes computer executable components stored in a memory. A time-based sensor component generates digital data representing voltage values associated with a power supply. A filtering component digitally conditions the generated digital data, and an analysis component analyzes the conditioned data and determines slope of the power supply voltage and employs counters to determine rate of data change over time; and if the slope is negative and exceeds a first pre-determined value for a pre-determined time period. The system implements one or more voltage droop-reduction techniques at the first processor core; and the first processor core transmits at least one of the following types of information: its voltage value, slope information or decision to apply droop reduction to one or more other cores.

Abstract: A circuit that detects the power supply voltage requirement of each voltage domain in an IC includes 1) a ring oscillator in each voltage domain, and 2) a power module. Two different circuit implementations of the power module may provide a precise reference voltage to on-chip voltage regulators (LDO or DC-DC switching buck converter). The power module supports DVFS and can provide the desired power supply voltage for advanced CMOS technology nodes (45 nm and beyond) in less than 100 ns. The voltage detection circuit clamps the voltage to the desired level to address power supply voltage variations due to PVT and ageing. The proposed technique has minimal power and area overhead to compensate for the power supply voltage variation, thus reducing power supply voltage margins which yields higher power saving.

Abstract: A circuit that detects the power supply voltage requirement of each voltage domain in an IC includes 1) a ring oscillator in each voltage domain, and 2) a power module. Two different circuit implementations of the power module may provide a precise reference voltage to on-chip voltage regulators (LDO or DC-DC switching buck converter). The power module supports DVFS and can provide the desired power supply voltage for advanced CMOS technology nodes (45 nm and beyond) in less than 100 ns. The voltage detection circuit clamps the voltage to the desired level to address power supply voltage variations due to PVT and ageing. The proposed technique has minimal power and area overhead to compensate for the power supply voltage variation, thus reducing power supply voltage margins which yields higher power saving.