Microprocessor-assisted auto-calibration of voltage regulators

摘要

Dynamic runtime calibration of a processor with respect to a specific voltage regulator that powers the processor or a memory subsystem coupled to the processor can reduce or eliminate the need for guardbands in power management computations. The processor receives a current measurement from the voltage regulator and computes a calibration factor based on the measured value and a stored expected value. The calibration factor can be used in making power management decisions instead of adding the guardband to power readings. A manufacturer or distributor of the processor can compute the stored values with a controlled voltage supply that has a higher precision than typical commercial power supplies used in computing systems. The computed, stored values indicate the expected value, which can be used to determine a calibration factor relative to a voltage regulator of an active system.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
executing, by a processor, a predefined test workload; receiving at the processor a measurement by a voltage regulator that provides current, voltage, and power to the processor, the measurement indicating an amount of current drawn by the processor for execution of the predefined test workload as measured by the voltage regulator; accessing a stored value indicating an expected current for execution of the predefined test workload by the processor; calculating a calibration factor based on the measured current and the stored value; and adjusting power operation of the processor based on the calibration factor.