Abstract:
Automatic voltage reconfiguration in a computer processor including one or more cores includes executing one or more user-specified workloads; determining, based on the user-specified workloads, a respective minimum safe voltage for each core of one or more cores; and modifying a respective voltage configuration for each core of the one or more cores based on the respective minimum safe voltage.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatuses control electrical current supplied to a plurality of processing units (102) in a multi-processor system. A plurality of current usage information (108) corresponding to the processing units are received by a controller (104) to determine a threshold current for each of the processing units. The controller determines a frequency reduction action (116) and an instructions-per-cycle (IPC) reduction action (202) for the each of the processing units based on the threshold current and regulates operations of the processing units based on the determined frequency and IPC reduction actions.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for managing processor functionality includes receiving, by the processor, data relating to one or more environmental conditions. The processor compares the data to pre-existing parameters to determine whether or not the environmental conditions are within the pre-existing parameters for normal operation. If the data are within the pre-existing parameters for normal operation, the processor is operated in a normal operation mode. If the data are outside the pre-existing parameters for normal operation, the processor operates in a second operation mode which is dynamically determined and calibrated during power-on, boot and operation.
Abstract:
A processor (100) maintains a minimum setup time for data being transferred between clock domains (102, 103), including maintaining the minimum setup time in response to a frequency change in a clock signal for at least one of the clock domains. The processor employs one or more control modules (122, 124) that monitor clock edges in each of the clock domains to ensure that data is not accessed by the receiving clock domain from a storage location until a minimum number of phases have elapsed in the transferring clock domain after the data has been written to the storage location. Further, the control module maintains the minimum setup time in response to a change in clock frequency at one or both of the clock domains.
Abstract:
Methods and apparatuses control the clock rate of a processing unit. The methods and apparatus control the clock rate by generating an output clock rate based on the determined frequency adjustment such that the processing unit maintains the overclocking. The methods include: receiving an analog voltage supply in response to detecting overclocking in the processing unit; dynamically sensing measurements of an output voltage from a voltage generator based on the received analog voltage supply; determining characteristics of a voltage droop in the output voltage based on the dynamically sensed output voltage measurements; determining a frequency adjustment for the clock rate of the processing unit based on the determined characteristics of the voltage droop; and generating an output clock rate based on the determined frequency adjustment such that the processing unit maintains the overclocking.
Abstract:
A processor [100] includes a plurality of voltage droop detectors [130] positioned at multiple points of the processor. The detectors monitor voltage levels and alerts the processor if a droop event has been detected in real time. Multiple droops can be detected simultaneously, with each detected droop event generating an alert that is sent to a processor module, such as a clock control module, to act based on the detected droop. Each detector employs a ring oscillator [206] that generates a periodic signal and a corresponding count based on that signal, where the frequency of the signal varies based on a voltage at the corresponding point being monitored.
Abstract:
A computing device (100) includes a processor (100) having a plurality of cores (111-114), a core translation component (616), and a core assignment component (617). The core translation component provides a set of registers (405), one register for each core of the multiple processor cores. The core assignment component includes components to provide a core index to each of the registers of the core translation component according to a core assignment scheme during processor initialization. Process instructions from an operating system are transferred to a respective core based on the core indices.
Abstract:
A processor (100) adjusts frequencies of one or more clock signals (230) in response to a voltage droop at the processor. The processor generates at least one clock signal by generating a plurality of base clock signals (220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227), each of the base clock signals having a common frequency but a different phase. The processor also generates a plurality of enable signals, wherein each enable signal governs whether a corresponding one of the base clock signals is used to generate the clock signal. The enable signals therefore determine the frequency of the clock signal. In response to detecting a voltage droop, the processor adjusts the enable signals used to generate the clock signal, thereby reducing the frequency of the clock signal droop.
Abstract:
A method and apparatus for managing overclocking in a data center includes determining a frequency limit of a first processor of a first server in the data center. The voltage of the first processor is lowered to a stability point, and the frequency is lowered. The first server is tested for stability. Based upon the results of the test, the voltage and frequency modifications are deployed to a second processor of a second server in the data center.
Abstract:
Automatic central processing unit (CPU) usage optimization includes: monitoring performance activity of a workload comprising a plurality of threads; and modifying a resource allocation of a plurality of cores for the plurality of threads based on the performance activity.