Global integrated circuit power control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12135602-B2
Application number	US-202217573268-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 11, 2022
Priority date	Sep 24, 2021
Publication date	Nov 5, 2024
Grant date	Nov 5, 2024

Abstract

In an embodiment, a system may include a plurality of component circuits. The plurality of component circuits may include rate control circuits the control power consumption in the component circuits based on indications of power allocated to the component circuits. In an embodiment, the rate control circuits may transmit power requests for the component circuits and a floor request representing a minimum amount of power that may ensure reliable operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A system comprising:
a plurality of component circuits, wherein a given component circuit of the plurality of component circuits is included in one of a plurality of independent power domains, and wherein the plurality of component circuits comprise respective rate control circuits and respective power control circuits; and
a power splitter circuit coupled to the plurality of component circuits, wherein:
the power splitter circuit is configured to allocate power to the plurality of component circuits from a power budget for the system;
the power splitter circuit is configured to communicate respective indications of the allocated power to the respective rate control circuits;
the respective rate control circuits are configured to manage power consumption in the corresponding component circuits based on the respective indication of the allocated power provided to the respective rate control circuits; and
the respective power control circuits are configured to limit power consumption within the corresponding component circuits based on one or more respective inputs received from the respective rate control circuits, wherein a first of the power control circuits is configured to implement a first set of power management mechanisms specific to a first one of the component circuits, and wherein a second of the power control circuits is configured to implement a second, different set of power management mechanisms specific to a second one of the component circuits; and

wherein the component circuits and the power splitter circuit are included in a system on a chip (SOC) integrated onto one or more co-packaged semiconductor dies.

2. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the allocated power is represented in terms of a plurality of credits, wherein a given credit represents a specified amount of power, and wherein the respective indication of the allocated power comprises a number of the plurality of credits.

3. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the respective rate control circuit of the given component circuit is configured to request a first level of reduced power consumption using a first input of the one or more inputs and a second level of reduced power consumption using a second input of the one or more inputs, wherein the second level is more reduced than the first level.

4. The system as recited in claim 3 wherein the respective rate control circuit is configured to request the first level of reduced power consumption based on a remaining amount of the allocated power falling below a first threshold.

5. The system as recited in claim 4 wherein the respective rate control circuit is configured to request the second level of reduced power consumption based on the remaining amount of the allocated power falling below a second threshold.

6. The system as recited in claim 3 wherein the second level engages each of one or more power reduction mechanisms implemented by the corresponding component circuit.

7. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the respective rate control circuit of the given component circuit is configured to indicate that reduced power consumption via the power control circuit has been engaged.

8. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein the given component circuit comprises a digital power estimation (DPE) circuit configured to estimate power consumption in the given component circuit and to report the estimated power consumption to the respective rate control circuit of the given component circuit, wherein the respective rate control circuit is configured to manage power consumption in the given component circuit further based on the estimated power consumption.

9. The system as recited in claim 8 wherein the DPE circuit is coupled to the power control circuit and is configured to cause the power control circuit to reduce power consumption in the given component circuit.

10. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of component circuits is a processor cluster comprising a plurality of processors.

11. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of component circuits is a graphics processing unit (GPU).

12. The system as recited in claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of component circuits is a peripheral component circuit.

13. A method comprising:
allocating power to a plurality of component circuits by a power splitter circuit, wherein a given component circuit of the plurality of component circuits is included in one of a plurality of independent power domains, and wherein the plurality of component circuits comprise respective rate control circuits and respective power control circuits;
communicating respective indications of the allocated power from the power splitter circuit to the respective rate control circuits;
managing power consumption in the plurality of component circuits by the respective rate control circuits based on the respective indication of the allocated power provided to the respective rate control circuits; and
limiting power consumption within the corresponding component circuits by the respective power control circuits based on one or more respective inputs received from the respective rate control circuits, wherein the limiting includes:
implementing, by a first of the power control circuits, a first set of power management mechanisms specific to a first one of the component circuits; and
implementing, by a second of the power control circuits a second, different set of power management mechanisms specific to a second one of the component circuits; and

wherein the component circuits and the power splitter circuit are included in a system on a chip (SOC) integrated onto one or more co-packaged semiconductor dies.

14. The method as recited in claim 13 wherein using the one or more inputs comprises:
requesting a first level of reduced power consumption using a first input of the one or more inputs; and
requesting a second level of reduced power consumption using a second input of the one or more inputs, wherein the second level is more reduced than the first level.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein requesting the first level of reduced power consumption is based on a remaining amount of the allocated power falling below a first threshold.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein requesting the second level of reduced power consumption based on the remaining amount of the allocated power falling below a second threshold.

17. An integrated circuit comprising:
a power manager circuit comprising a power splitter circuit;
a plurality of component circuits; and
one or more processor clusters, wherein a given processor cluster comprises:
a plurality of processors,
a digital power estimation (DPE) circuit coupled to the plurality of processors and configured to estimate power consumed in the plurality of processors,
a rate control circuit coupled to the plurality of processors; and
a power control circuit coupled to the rate control circuit;

wherein:
the power splitter circuit is configured to allocate power to the plurality of component circuits and the one or more processor clusters from a power budget for the integrated circuit,
the power splitter circuit is configured to communicate an indication of power allocated for the given processor cluster to the rate control circuit,
the rate control circuit is configured to manage power consumption in the corresponding component circuits based on the indication of the power allocated and based on the estimated power consumption from the DPE circ

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Rajwan Doron
• Sodhi Inder M
• Cox Keith
• Cho Jung Wook
• Park Kevin I
• Kuzi Tal

Classifications

• G06F1/324 Primary

  by lowering clock frequency · CPC title

• G06F1/3243

  Power saving in microcontroller unit · CPC title

• G06F1/3287

  by switching off individual functional units in the computer system · CPC title

• G06F1/3293

  by switching to a less power-consuming processor, e.g. sub-CPU · CPC title

• G06F1/3296 Primary

  by lowering the supply or operating voltage · CPC title