Processor Power Management via Periodic State Cycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing power consumption of servers and mobile devices poses challenges for energy efficiency, with data centers facing high energy bills and limited scalability due to insufficient power supply, while mobile devices have limited battery life, necessitating innovative power management solutions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a method that alternates a processor between an operating state and an ultra-low-power non-operating state during workload execution to maintain a fixed power budget, leveraging existing ultra-low-power states to increase average processor frequency and extend battery life.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the processor operates continuously in the operating state to execute workload instructions, then the processing speed and productivity are improved, but the power consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The processor alternates between operating state and non-operating state in periodic cycles. During each cycle, the processor executes workload instructions in the operating state for a predetermined time period, then transitions to the non-operating state to conserve power. This periodic switching resolves the contradiction by providing processing capability when needed while reducing average power consumption through intermittent operation.
2Use of energy by moving object
If the processor transitions frequently between operating and non-operating states to reduce power consumption, then the energy efficiency is improved, but the processing performance and productivity deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the duration of operating state intervals and non-operating state intervals based on workload characteristics and power budget constraints. By optimizing these time parameters, the system achieves the desired balance between energy efficiency and processing performance, ensuring that the processor remains in the operating state long enough to complete meaningful work while still gaining power savings from periodic transitions.
3Productivity
If servers are added to increase computing capacity to meet demand, then the processing power and productivity are improved, but the power consumption and energy cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The processor dynamically adjusts its operational characteristics by varying the duty cycle between operating and non-operating states based on actual workload demands. This dynamic adaptation allows existing processors to provide variable computing capacity without proportionally increasing power consumption, effectively replacing the need to add more servers and thereby reducing overall power consumption and energy costs.
4Speed
If the processor operates at high frequency to improve processing speed, then the productivity is improved, but the power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processor operates at high frequency in the operating state to achieve fast processing when needed, then transitions to the non-operating state to eliminate power consumption during idle periods. This periodic high-frequency operation provides the benefits of high-speed processing while maintaining lower average power consumption compared to continuous high-frequency operation.
Data Source
AI summary
Processor-management techniques that purposely alternate a processor between an operating state and a non-operating state while the processor is executing the workload. The techniques leverage the “ultra-low-power” non-operating states of many processors to provide predictable power and/or frequency control of the processor. These techniques can provide better performance than known clock-throttling and dynamic voltage and frequency scaling schemes for controlling processors.