Power-efficient, reliable microprocessor architectures: Modeling and design methods

Next generation system designs are challenged by multiple "walls": among them, the inter-related impediments offered by power dissipation limits and reliability are particularly difficult ones that all current chip/system design teams are grappling with. In this paper, we first describe the attendant challenges in integrated (multi-dimensional) pre-silicon modeling and the solution approaches being pursued. Later, we focus on leading edge solutions for power, thermal and failure-rate mitigation that have been proposed in our R&D work over the past decade. © 2010 ACM.