Integrated Circuit Power Domain Overlap for Energy Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional integrated circuits with a single core power source cannot efficiently reduce power consumption since no element in the power domains can be turned off or have voltage dropped.
Innovation Solution
The integration of multiple core power sources and overlapping core power domains allows for some always-on cells to be turned off, enabling efficient power reduction by switching between core power sources.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a single core power source is used, then device complexity is reduced, but power consumption cannot be efficiently reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single core power source into multiple core power sources (first core power source and second core power source), each independently powering specific core power domains. This segmentation enables selective shutdown of individual power sources when their associated domains are not needed, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular organization.
2Loss of energy
If core power domains are overlapped, then power consumption can be reduced by turning off cells, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements overlapping core power domains where certain power domains are nested within or overlap with others. Specifically, the first core power domain and second core power domain overlap, with some always-on cells shared between them. This nesting arrangement allows the system to turn off entire power domains when not needed, achieving significant power savings while the overlapping structure provides flexibility in power management.
3Loss of energy
If always-on cells are distributed across multiple power domains, then power consumption can be reduced, but reliability may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the power supply configuration for different types of cells. Always-on cells are strategically distributed across multiple overlapping core power domains with different power source dependencies. This ensures that critical always-on functionality is maintained through redundancy while non-critical areas can achieve deeper power savings, optimizing the balance between reliability and power consumption locally throughout the system.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention provides an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit comprises: a plurality of core power sources; and a plurality of core power domains, coupled to the core power sources, respectively; wherein the core power domains are overlapped with each other.