Virtual Partition Power Limits for Noisy Neighbor Isolation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional power management systems in computer processors fail to isolate power limits effectively across virtual partitions, leading to uneven performance degradation and the 'noisy neighbor' problem, where one virtual partition's actions affect others undesirably.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a power management unit that generates separate power limit tables for each virtual partition based on the ratio of processing engines, using a hardware-software interface to manage power limits and isolate them, ensuring fair allocation and performance across virtual partitions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If conventional power management systems are used without virtual partition isolation, then the system structure remains simple, but power limits cannot be effectively isolated across virtual partitions leading to uneven performance degradation and noisy neighbor problems

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepower limit isolationVSAvoidpower management structure

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The power management system is segmented into separate power limit tables for each virtual partition. The power management unit maintains multiple power limit tables (one per virtual partition) rather than a single shared table, allowing independent power limit management for each partition and eliminating cross-partition power interference.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A power management unit acts as an intermediary between the hardware processor and software virtual partition management. This unit receives power limit information from a hardware-software interface and enforces partition-specific power limits, mediating between the physical hardware and virtualized power management requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If separate power limit tables are generated for each virtual partition, then power isolation and fair allocation are achieved, but the power management unit and hardware-software interface complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveperformance fairnessVSAvoidpower management unit

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The power management unit is designed as a universal component that can serve multiple virtual partitions simultaneously. It maintains multiple power limit tables and can dynamically allocate power limits to different partitions based on their needs, providing multi-functional power management capabilities within a single unified structure.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically changes power limit parameters for different virtual partitions based on their performance requirements and resource usage. The power management unit adjusts power limits in real-time by modifying entries in the partition-specific power limit tables, enabling flexible and fair power allocation without hardware redesign.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Object-affected harmful factors

If power limits are shared across all virtual partitions, then the power management system remains simple, but one partition's power state changes affect other partitions undesirably

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenoisy neighbor effectVSAvoidpower limit management

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The shared power limit structure is segmented into separate, partition-specific power limit tables. Each virtual partition has its own dedicated power limit table that is independent of others, preventing power state changes in one partition from affecting another. This segmentation physically isolates power management between partitions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The harmful cross-partition power interference is extracted and removed by creating independent power limit tables for each partition. The power management system extracts the power limit enforcement functionality from the shared resource pool and assigns it to individual partitions, eliminating the noisy neighbor effect where one partition's power changes would otherwise affect others.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS12608143B2Power limits for virtual partitions in a processor

Publication Date: 2026.04.21 INTEL CORP

AI summary

In an embodiment, a processor includes multiple processing engines and a power control unit. The power control unit is to receive a mapping of multiple virtual partitions to sets of the processing engines, and in response to a receipt of the mapping of multiple of virtual partitions: access a power limit table for the processor, and generate multiple virtual partition power limit tables based on the power limit table for the processor, where each virtual partition power limit table is associated with a different virtual partition. Other embodiments are described and claimed.