A comprehensive evaluation of power delivery schemes for modern microprocessors

• Main Authors: Haj-Yahya, Jawad, Rotem, Efraim, Mendelson, Avi, Chattopadhyay, Anupam
• Other Authors: School of Computer Science and Engineering
• Format: Conference or Workshop Item
• Language: English
• Published: 2020
• Subjects: Engineering::Computer science and engineering; Energy-efficiency; Integrated Voltage Regulator
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/142646
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

The continuous quest for energy-efficient computing has led towards the adoption of fine-grained controls in processor sub-systems, of which power delivery network is the most prominent one. Recent industry trends reflect a shift towards on-chip, integrated voltage regulator (IVRs) to that effect. We undertake a thorough and quantitative evaluation of different power delivery networks for modern microprocessors. In contrast to the current trend, we conclude that IVR schemes perform worse compared to the conventional off-chip voltage regulator scheme. Further, we present studies on diverse workloads and Thermal Design Points (TDPs) to highlight the importance of workload-specific power delivery scheme. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study across processors' TDPs and workloads.