Adaptive Delay Correction For Runtime Variation In Dynamic Voltage Scaling Systems

摘要

Temperature and voltage fluctuations affect delay sensitivity differently, as supply voltage is reduced. These differences make runtime variations particularly difficult to manage in dynamic voltage scaling systems, which adjust supply voltage in accordance with the required operating frequency. To include process variation in current table-lookup methods, a worst-case process is typically assumed. We propose a new method that takes process variation into account and reduces the excessive runtime variation guardbands. Our approach uses a ring oscillator to generate baseline frequencies, and employs a guardband lookup table to offset this baseline. The new method ensures robust operation and reduces power consumption by up to 20% compared with a method that assumes worst-case process variation in filling a lookup table.