GPU Inter-Frame Power Off Using Retention Hardware
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mobile graphics processing units (GPUs) face significant power consumption issues, leading to reduced battery life, and conventional power management schemes introduce high latencies that limit efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing an Inter Frame Power Off (IFPO) process using retention hardware to store and restore GPU state information, allowing for quicker transitions between active and low-power states, reducing latency and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If the mobile GPU is placed into a low-power state periodically to conserve power, then power consumption is reduced, but latency in mobile GPU performance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-warming the retention hardware before the GPU enters low-power state. The retention hardware is activated in advance to prepare for storing GPU state information, ensuring that when the GPU needs to transition back to active state, the retention hardware is already ready to immediately restore the state without introducing additional latency. This pre-preparation allows the GPU to maintain fast transition capabilities while enjoying power savings during low-power states.
2Loss of time
If the GPU transitions quickly between active and low-power states, then latency is reduced, but power management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces retention hardware as an intermediary component between the GPU and the power management system. This retention hardware serves as a mediator that stores GPU state information during low-power states, enabling quick transitions without requiring complex power management algorithms. The intermediary absorbs the complexity of state preservation and restoration, allowing the main power management system to remain relatively simple while achieving fast transitions.
3Speed
If retention hardware is used to store GPU state information, then transition speed improves, but additional hardware components are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by designing the retention hardware to serve multiple purposes: it stores GPU state information during low-power states, enables fast transition between active and low-power states, and can be integrated with existing GPU architecture components. By making this hardware component multi-functional, the patent reduces the need for separate dedicated components for each function, thereby limiting the increase in overall device complexity while achieving fast transition speeds.
Data Source
AI summary
The graphics processing unit (GPU) of a processing system transitions to a low-power state between frame rendering operations according to an inter-frame power off process, where GPU state information is stored on retention hardware. The retention hardware can include retention random access memory (RAM) or retention flip-flops. The retention hardware is operable in an active mode and a retention mode, where read/write operations are enabled at the retention hardware in the active mode and disabled in the retention mode, but data stored on the retention hardware is still retained in the retention mode. The retention hardware is placed in the retention state between frame rendering operations. The GPU transitions from its low-power state to its active state upon receiving an indication that a new frame is ready to be rendered and is restored using the GPU state information stored at the retention hardware.