Patent · US Active

Energy-efficient core voltage selection apparatus and method

US12073227B2 · kind B2 · utility

1Cited by
1References
20Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateDec 22, 2020
Grant dateAug 27, 2024
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 20, 2042

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02D10/00
  • WIPO fieldComputer technology
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

A processor core energy-efficiency core ranking scheme akin to a favored core in a multi-core processor system. The favored core is the energy-efficient core that allows an SoC to use the core with the lowest Vmin for energy-efficiency. Such Vmin values may be fused in appropriate registers or stored in NVM during HVM. An OS scheduler achieves optimal energy performance using the core ranking information to schedule certain applications on the core with lowest Vmin. A bootstrap flow identifies a bootstrap processor core (BSP) as the most energy efficiency core of the SoC and assigns that core the lowest APIC ID value according to the lowest Vmin. Upon reading the fuses or NVM, the microcode/BIOS calculates and ranks the cores. As such, microcode/BIOS calculates and ranks core APIC IDs based on efficiency around LFM frequencies. Based on the calculated and ranked cores, the microcode or BIOS transfers BSP ownership to the most efficiency core.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.