Increasing power efficiency of turbo mode operation in a processor

US8904205B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Intel Corporation · US

Inventors

• James S. Burns · Ann Arbor, US
• Baskaran Ganesan · Bengaluru, IN
• Russell J. Fenger · Beaverton, US
• Devadatta V. Bodas · Federal Way, US
• Sundaravarathan R. Iyengar · Federal Way, US
• Feranak Nelson · Olympia, US
• John M. Powell · Rancho Cordova, US
• Suresh Sugumar · Bengaluru, IN

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 3, 2014
• Grant date: Dec 2, 2014
• Expiry date: Feb 3, 2034

Classification

• Technology area (CPC Y): Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
• CPC primary: Y02D10/00
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

In one embodiment, a processor has multiple cores to execute threads. The processor further includes a power control logic to enable entry into a turbo mode based on a comparison between a threshold and value of a counter that stores a count of core power and performance combinations that identify turbo mode requests of at least one of the threads. In this way, turbo mode may be entered at a utilization level of the processor that provides for high power efficiency. Other embodiments are described and claimed.