Fabric Data Rate Limiting Proportional to Current Threshold Violations
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional power management techniques in integrated circuits often fail to accurately and timely detect power excursions, leading to performance degradation, computation errors, and equipment damage, as they either detect events too late or apply uniform conservation measures regardless of excursion magnitude.
Innovation Solution
Implementing distributed power estimator circuitry at the edges of communications fabric to estimate current draws and apply proportional data rate limiting based on the magnitude of current threshold violations, using quality-of-service-aware techniques to mitigate power events effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional power management techniques are used to detect power excursions, then detection simplicity is maintained, but detection timeliness and accuracy deteriorate leading to performance degradation and computation errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power estimation function by distributing power estimator circuitry across multiple fabric interfaces rather than using a centralized detection mechanism. Each power estimator locally monitors current draws at its interface, enabling timely local detection and response while maintaining overall system-wide power management. This segmentation eliminates detection delays associated with centralized monitoring and improves accuracy by capturing localized power excursion events at their source.
2Reliability
If uniform power conservation measures are applied regardless of excursion magnitude, then implementation simplicity is maintained, but performance degradation occurs due to excessive data rate limiting
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by implementing proportional data rate limiting where the degree of data rate restriction is directly correlated to the magnitude of the current threshold violation. Rather than applying uniform conservation measures, the system dynamically adjusts the severity of power management actions based on local conditions at each fabric interface. This allows the system to maintain high data rates during minor fluctuations while aggressively limiting data rates during severe power excursions, thereby maintaining both reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic power management through proportional data rate limiting that adapts in real-time to the magnitude of power excursions. The data rate limit is not static but dynamically adjusted based on the measured current draw violations. This dynamic approach enables the system to respond appropriately to varying power conditions, maintaining optimal performance during normal operation while effectively mitigating power events when necessary.
3Measurement precision
If distributed power estimator circuitry is implemented at fabric edges, then detection timeliness and precision are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power management functionality by distributing power estimator circuitry across multiple fabric interfaces. Each power estimator is a relatively simple local circuit that monitors current draws at its specific interface. While this distribution increases overall device complexity compared to a single centralized detector, it dramatically improves measurement precision and timeliness by capturing power excursion events at their local sources before they propagate through the fabric.
Solution Approach 2:
The distributed power estimator circuitry implements self-service by autonomously monitoring and detecting power excursions at each fabric interface without requiring centralized control or coordination. Each power estimator independently performs current draw estimation and triggers appropriate power management responses locally, reducing the complexity burden on central control logic while maintaining high detection precision across the entire fabric.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed techniques relate to limiting a data rate of communications on fabric circuitry proportionally to a violation of a power-related threshold. Toggle rate detector circuitry, measuring a toggle rate between a given interface circuit and the fabric circuitry, may be distributed at interfaces that couple the fabric circuitry and multiple client circuits. Power control circuitry may generate an estimate of electrical current use by a given client circuit based on a toggle rate between the client circuit's interface and the fabric circuitry and based on a communication event. The power control circuitry may detect, based on the estimates of electrical current use, a violation of an electrical current threshold. Additionally, the power control circuitry may limit the data rate of communications on the fabric circuitry, proportionally to a magnitude of the violation. Disclosed techniques may mitigate violations with reduced impacts on performance relative to traditional techniques.