SHF: Small: GOALI: Addressing the Challenges of Parameter Variation in the Design of Ultra-Low Power Chip Multiprocessors Using Near-Threshold Technology

过去几十年的计算革命在很大程度上是由微处理器芯片性能的快速增长推动的。不幸的是，这种增长现在受到了对电力消耗的严格限制。为了确保计算技术继续发展，必须创造出显著提高计算能效的解决方案。这项提议的重点是开发制造微处理器的技术，这种技术的效率比目前的技术水平高出一个数量级。这将通过设计和测试技术来实现，使芯片在管理电力的方式上更加智能。这些系统将动态监控其功耗，智能地将电力分配给关键任务，并通过电力调节机制协调应用程序的执行，所有这些都是为了减少能源浪费。建议的解决方案跨越多个技术层面，汇集了来自学术界和工业界不同芯片设计领域的专家。除了技术和商业潜力，这项研究将进一步加强俄亥俄州立大学节能设计的多学科教学和研究。PIS将试行一项研究生水平的联合课程，重点是超低功耗微处理器设计。这项提议还将有助于促进俄亥俄州立大学和Mentor Graphics之间的长期合作，致力于派遣工程师和研究人员访问俄亥俄州立大学校园，为参与该项目的研究生提供建议，并进行智力参与。这将鼓励学生在计算机辅助超大规模集成电路设计和微处理器技术领域寻求职业生涯，从而帮助推动这个对美国经济增长至关重要的行业。

The computing revolution of the last few decades has been driven in large part by a rapid growth in the performance of microprocessor chips. Unfortunately, this growth is now severely restricted by hard limits on power consumption. To ensure that computing technology will continue to evolve, solutions that dramatically increase the energy efficiency of computation must be created. This proposal focuses on developing techniques for building microprocessors that are an order of magnitude more efficient than the current state of the art. This will be achieved by designing and testing technologies for making chips more intelligent in the way they manage power. These systems will dynamically monitor their power consumption, allocate power intelligently to critical tasks and coordinate application execution with the power regulation mechanism, all with the goal of reducing energy waste. The proposed solutions span multiple technology layers, bringing together experts from different areas of chip design from both academia and industry.Beyond its technological and commercial potential, this research will further strengthen multidisciplinary teaching and research in energy efficient design at Ohio State University. The PIs will pilot a joint graduate-level course focusing on ultra-low power microprocessor design. This proposal will also help foster a long-term collaboration between Ohio State and Mentor Graphics that is committed to sending engineers and researchers to visit the Ohio State campus, advice graduate students involved in this project and be intellectually involved. This will encourage students to seek careers in computer aided VLSI design and microprocessor technology, thus helping fuel an industry that is vital to the growth of the US economy.