Abstract: Particular embodiments described herein provide for an electronic device that includes a battery, a display, an embedded controller to determine a battery condition and set an indicator when then battery condition is at a low power state, and a basic input/output system (BIOS), where, before an operating system stage of a boot process, the BIOS sets a brightness of the display at a native brightness if the indicator is not set and sets the brightness of the display at a low power brightness to reduce the brightness of the display if the indicator is set. In an example, the embedded controller sets the indicator before the central processing unit is reset during the boot process.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed toward a universal serial bus (USB) controller including a USB Type-C port that couples to a USB Type-C link including high speed data lines and an alternate mode function line to carry low power commands related to an alternate mode function. In embodiments, the controller or a processor coupled to the controller monitors the line used by the alternate mode function for the low power commands and provides information about the low power commands to a device policy manager (DPM) to determine a power distribution policy for a plurality of devices coupled to the DPM. In embodiments, the power distribution policy supplements or replaces a low power policy of a device of using a USB-C/Power delivery policy and another device using an alternate mode low power policy. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Abstract: In embodiments, at least one computer-readable medium (CRM) includes a plurality of instructions to cause a computing device, in response to execution of the instructions, to operate a power manager to: receive a request from a first operating system (OS) of a virtualized execution environment (VEE) of the computing device to suspend a first input/output (I/O) device of the computing device. The computing device has a plurality of I/O ports for receiving a plurality of I/O devices including the first I/O device. The plurality of I/O ports are virtualized for a plurality of OSes of the VEE, including the first OS. In response to the receipt, the power manager conditionally suspends the first I/O device if no other guest OS of the VEE is using the first I/O device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses relating to circuitry to implement a multiprocessor boot flow for a faster boot process are described. In one embodiment, a system includes a hardware processor comprising a processor core, a cache coupled to the hardware processor, storage for hardware initialization code, and a controller circuit to initialize a portion of the cache as memory for usage by the hardware initialization code before beginning execution of the hardware initialization code after a power on of the system.

Abstract: An apparatus is provided, where the apparatus includes a plurality of input/output (I/O) ports and a controller. A first port, a second port, and a third port are to be respectively coupled to a first device with a first class type, a second device with a second class type, and a third device with a third class type. The controller is to determine that individual ones of the first and second devices are to perform asynchronous transfer with the apparatus, and that the third device is to perform a transfer that is different from the asynchronous transfer. The controller is to allocate bandwidth to the first and second I/O ports, based at least in part on the first class type and the second class type. The controller is to ignore the third class type, while allocating bandwidth to the third I/O port.

Abstract: A method and system for managing power for Universal Serial Bus (USB) ports, in particular USB Type-C ports that are connected to USB devices that do not support USB power delivery (USB PD). The method and system present an advertisement of a default power supply to a USB device, receive power attribute information from a USB device configuration descriptor during USB device enumeration, in response to the connecting USB device not supporting USB power deliver (USB PD), and dynamically change the power supply to meet the power requirements of the connecting USB device identified by the power attribute information.

Abstract: Embodiments may relate to a universal serial bus (USB)-enabled apparatus that includes one or more USB devices that are coupled with a USB host controller by a persistent connection. The USB host controller may identify that the USB device is persistently coupled and then identify USB device information related to the USB device, wherein the USB device information is stored prior to the identification of the USB device. The USB host controller may then use that identified information to perform USB enumeration. Other embodiments may be described or claimed.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for technology that identifies, during a first boot process, whether at least one task associated with at least one software program is set to occur in a single-threaded process or a multithreaded process, in response to the at least one task being set to occur in the multithreaded process, executing the at least one task in the multithreaded process during the first boot process, and in response to the at least one task being set to occur in the single-threaded process, executing the at least one task in the single-threaded process during the first boot process.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for technology that detects a low battery condition in a computing system including an integrated graphics processor and a discrete graphics processor, wherein the low battery condition is detected during a pre-boot stage of the computing system. The technology may also disable a root port associated with the discrete graphics processor in response to the low battery condition, conduct an initialization of an integrated display while the root port is disabled, and enable the root port in response to a successful negotiation of increased power by a verified read write code of an embedded controller of the computing system.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for technology that initializes static random access memory (SRAM) of a processor in response to a reset of the processor, allocates the SRAM to one or more security enforcement operations, and triggers a multi-threaded execution of the one or more security enforcement operations before completion of a basic input output system (BIOS) phase. In one example, the multi-threaded execution is triggered independently of a dynamic RAM (DRAM) initialization.

Abstract: In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a host controller to implement one or more layers of a Universal Serial Bus (USB)-based protocol to provide an interconnect for a plurality of devices. The host controller is to monitor control plane messages on the interconnect, detect, in the control plane messages, a power state change command for a device coupled to the interconnect, wherein the devices utilizes a tunneled protocol on the interconnect, and modify power distribution for one or more other devices of the interconnect based on detecting the power state change command.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to a phased boot process to dynamically initialize devices in a verified environment. An embodiment of a system includes a memory device to store platform initialization firmware to cause the processing system to: initialize, during a boot process, a portion of the one or more memory modules as system management random access memory (SMRAM) for system management mode (SMM) usage; generate an SMM component in the SMRAM, the SMM component comprising an SMM handler routine to handle dynamic intellectual property (IP) management operations corresponding to the plurality of hardware components; register the SMM handler routine with an SMM interrupt (SMI) for identification of SMM events from an operating system (OS); and generate an SMM dispatcher in the SMRAM, the SMM dispatcher to create an instance of the SMM handler routine in the SMRAM in response to receiving an SMI from the OS during runtime of the processing system.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to improving boot process for early display initialization and visualization. An embodiment of a system includes a plurality of processor cores; a cache coupled to the plurality of processor cores; and a controller circuit to: initialize a portion of the cache as static memory for hardware initialization code usage before beginning execution of the hardware initialization code after a power on of the hardware processor; and cause initialization of a display device to be performed using the portion of the cache, the initialization of the display device performed independently of initialization of dynamic memory of the hardware processor.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method comprises: receiving, in a client system, an authentication request from a cloud server remotely coupled to the client system, the authentication request for authentication of a device coupled to the client system; in response to the authentication request, performing an authentication protocol with the device via the client system, including obtaining device authentication information of the device; placing at least a portion of the device authentication information and authentication information of the client system in a protocol packet, and sending the protocol packet to the cloud server; and in response to a challenge request from the cloud server, sending to the cloud server a challenge response signed with a first certificate of the client system and a second certificate of the device, to cause the cloud server to authenticate the device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for technology that initiates a boot of a computing system containing an embedded controller while the computing system is in a low power mode, conducts a verification that code to perform the boot is uncorrupted, and negotiates an increased power delivery with a source device connected to the computing system if the verification is successful.

Abstract: Systems, apparatuses and methods may provide for technology that collects state data from a plurality of input/output (TO) drivers, wherein each of the plurality of IO drivers is to tunnel traffic through a shared physical interface in accordance with a different protocol.

Abstract: Embodiments may relate to a universal serial bus (USB)-enabled apparatus that includes one or more USB devices that are coupled with a USB host controller by a persistent connection. The USB host controller may identify that the USB device is persistently coupled and then identify USB device information related to the USB device, wherein the USB device information is stored prior to the identification of the USB device. The USB host controller may then use that identified information to perform USB enumeration. Other embodiments may be described or claimed.

Abstract: In embodiments, at least one computer-readable medium (CRM) includes a plurality of instructions to cause a computing device, in response to execution of the instructions, to operate a power manager to: receive a request from a first operating system (OS) of a virtualized execution environment (VEE) of the computing device to suspend a first input/output (I/O) device of the computing device. The computing device has a plurality of I/O ports for receiving a plurality of I/O devices including the first I/O device. The plurality of I/O ports are virtualized for a plurality of OSes of the VEE, including the first OS. In response to the receipt, the power manager conditionally suspends the first I/O device if no other guest OS of the VEE is using the first I/O device. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed toward a universal serial bus (USB) controller including a USB Type-C port that couples to a USB Type-C link including high speed data lines and an alternate mode function line to carry low power commands related to an alternate mode function. In embodiments, the controller or a processor coupled to the controller monitors the line used by the alternate mode function for the low power commands and provides information about the low power commands to a device policy manager (DPM) to determine a power distribution policy for a plurality of devices coupled to the DPM. In embodiments, the power distribution policy supplements or replaces a low power policy of a device of using a USB-C/Power delivery policy and another device using an alternate mode low power policy. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Abstract: A method and a device to participate in a managed Universal Serial Bus (USB) ecosystem. The method including establishing a connection with a plurality of devices in the ecosystem as a many-to-many relationship between extended USB device policy managers, and coordinating power and data exchange within the plurality of devices the ecosystem including at least one device that is not directly connected.