A programmable thermal management interface circuit for PowerPC systems

摘要

A programmable thermal management interface circuit for PowerPC systems has been designed, implemented, and tested for the Integrated Thermal Management (ITEM) System [1]. Instead of worst--case design, the ITEM system approach is to target nominal power dissipation and have the system actively monitor its thermal activity and control cooling mechanisms to ensure operation within specification. Using a suitable combination of hardware and software, the interface design yields intricate control and optimal management with little system overhead and minimum hardware requirements, as well as provides the flexibility to support different management algorithms. This interface circuit was fabricated in the HP 0.5 μm single--poly 3-metal process through MOSIS.