Low Power Design | Physical Design | Part 1

By

Low Power Design | Physical Design | Part 1


Understanding Low Power Design:

Low power design is a collection of techniques and methods that help reduce the overall power consumption of an integrated circuit (IC). This includes both the dynamic and static power components. Think of it like this: when an IC is in use, it consumes power, and that power consumption can be broken down into two main categories - dynamic power and static power.


Dynamic power is the power consumed when the IC is actively switching between different states, like when it's processing data or transmitting signals. Static power, on the other hand, is the power consumed even when the IC is idle, like when it's in standby mode.


The goal of low power design is to minimize both dynamic and static power consumption, making the IC as energy-efficient as possible. This is super important for portable devices like smartphones, laptops, and wearables, where battery life is a major concern. Imagine being able to use your smartphone for an entire day without needing to recharge it - that's what low power design can help achieve.



Now, let's look at some examples of how low power design is crucial for various components:

Wi-Fi: When your device is connected to Wi-Fi, the Wi-Fi module is constantly consuming power to maintain the connection and transmit data. Low power design techniques can help reduce the power consumption of the Wi-Fi module, allowing your device to stay connected for longer periods without draining the battery.

IO Devices: Input/Output (IO) devices like keyboards, touchscreens, and displays also consume power when in use. Low power design can help reduce the power consumption of these devices, making them more energy-efficient and prolonging battery life.

Bluetooth: Bluetooth is another example of a component that benefits from low power design. When your device is connected to a Bluetooth device, like headphones or a speaker, the Bluetooth module consumes power to maintain the connection. By reducing the power consumption of the Bluetooth module, low power design can help extend battery life.

GPS: Global Positioning System (GPS) modules are another power-hungry component in many devices. Low power design techniques can help reduce the power consumption of GPS modules, allowing devices to provide location-based services while minimizing battery drain.

Memory: Memory components like RAM and flash storage also consume power when in use. Low power design can help reduce the power consumption of memory components, making them more energy-efficient and prolonging battery life.

Processors: By reducing the power consumption of processors, devices can run for longer periods without overheating or draining the battery. This is especially important for high-performance devices like gaming laptops and smartphones.

Sensors: Sensors like accelerometers, gyroscopes, and ambient light sensors also consume power when in use. Low power design can help reduce the power consumption of these sensors, making them more energy-efficient and prolonging battery life.

In the context of system-on-chip (SoC) design, low power design is crucial to ensure that the IC meets the power budget constraints of the target application. This is especially important for battery-powered devices, where every little bit of power savings counts. By applying low power design techniques, designers can create energy-efficient ICs that enable devices to run for longer periods on a single charge.



In the part 2 of our series, we'll look deeper into the components of static and dynamic power. By exploring these components in depth, we'll gain a better understanding of the techniques and strategies used to minimize power consumption in modern integrated circuits.



#scripting #coding #Tcl #pd #physicaldesign #physicalverification #pv #vlsi #design #india #semiconductor #freshers #professional #hardware #floorplanning #motivation #leadership #magnet #bound #placement #synopsys #cadence #interview #vlsi #question #power #irdrop #powerswitches #rushcurrent #lowpower #staticpower #dynamicpower #wifi #bluetooth 




Comments

Post a Comment

Must Read

Understanding of Placement (Physical Design) - Part 1

By
In physical design, following floor-planning, the crucial step is placement, which heavily relies on the quality of the floorplan. Today, let's delve into placement algorithms. Before commencing placement, conducting necessary checks called pre-placement checks is imperative. To ensure better timing quality, the following steps must be completed before initiating placement: 1.Physical synthesis must be completed. so we can use coarse placement in placement stage.       2. EDA tool offers command to check for pre-placement issue. >check_design -checks pre_placement_stage (synopsys command) >check_design -type place -out_file pre_place_checks.tcl (cadence command) The above commands examine issues related to placement such as PG DRC, PG missing via, pin placement, grid, feedthrough issues, etc. Running these commands before placement aids in identifying major issues that could impede the placement process. Different stages for the placement run ...
Read more

Interview Question - Physical Design (PD) | Clock Skew

By
  Interview Question (PD): Consider a design that has undergone floor-planning, placement, Clock Tree Synthesis (CTS), and routing, complete Physical Design (PD) activity. After multiple iterations to fix timing, two runs have been generated: Run A with zero skew (practically not possible, but assume) and Run B with a skew of 50ps. Both runs meet the required timing specifications. Which run is the good one? Can we go ahead with the zero skew run, or should we opt for the run with some skew? What are the disadvantages of going with the zero skew run? In particular, are there any potential issues with the zero skew run that could lead to reliability or performance problems down the line? For example, might the zero skew run be more sensitive to process, voltage, and temperature (PVT) variations, IR drop or more prone to clock signal degradation? On the other hand, does the run with some skew provide a more realistic and robust clock distribution network that can better withstand va...
Read more

Dealing with Congestion in a Practical Way (Physical Design) :

By
Dealing with Congestion in a Practical Way (Physical Design): Simply put, if number of required track is more than available track in a specific GRC, the tool flags an overflow in that area. The tool breaks down the chip core into small GRCs (Global Route Cells) and assesses overflow, reporting it for horizontal, vertical, and both layers. Normally, the overflow percentage should stay below 1%, requiring analysis if it exceeds that. But what if it's significantly high, like 10-20%? Even with a high overflow, the tool routes, but at the expense of shorts and DRC violations, resulting in poor net quality. Long nets contribute to high RC values, causing more delays and eventually timing violations in design. Therefore, prioritizing congestion analysis is crucial. Let's look into potential causes of congestion/overflow: 1.Improper logic optimization during synthesis. 2.Bad floorplan (Check my post on floorplan for macro placements). https://lnkd.in/gU9PnZve 3.Incorrect standard ce...
Read more

Scripting Interview Question | Physical Design | VLSI

By
Scripting Interview Question Role: Physical Design Company : Product Based Experience: 5+ years Write a program or suggest an algorithm that compares two files containing lines of code. The program should perform the following tasks: Consider all possible solutions and identify the most efficient one. Identify and report matching patterns between the two files. Identify and report non-matching patterns between the two files. Propose a solution for scenarios where the file sizes are small (hundreds of lines of code). Propose a solution for scenarios where the file sizes are large (thousands of lines of code). Discuss whether the same solution works for both small and large file sizes. Instructions for Submission: Please post your answers in the comment section below. For detailed explanations and solutions, check the answers later on compile-vlsi.blogspot.com Answer: (Updated on 01 Aug 2024) Approach 1: Brute Force Description: Use two nested loops to compare each line of the first f...
Read more

LVS Issue | Physical verification | VLSI

By
In Physical Design Verification / Layout Verification, one crucial process to ensure the manufacturability of chips is Layout vs Schematic (LVS). While other checks such as DRC, Antenna and Density issues are relatively easier to handle through scripting and custom approaches, LVS demands careful analysis and debugging. In Simple word, LVS involves comparing the source netlist, which can be generated from a Verilog netlist (.v file) using v2lvs, with the layout netlist extracted from GDSII/Oasis files (.gds /.oas). To ensure a smooth verification process and to get LVS smiley, certain tips should be followed: Clean up open and short connections during the routing stage and fix any hierarchical shorts if detected. Power-related shorts and opens can be identified separately by running soft-check and ERC on the layout. Ensure that the Base DRC is free from issues. Legalization problems like overlaps, missing fillers, or tap cells can lead to unnecessary LVS discrepancies. When generating ...
Read more

Port Punching | Physical Design | VLSI

By
Image
Port Punching in Physical Design VLSI: Port punching refers to the process where a synthesis or implementation tool automatically creates a port to facilitate connections between hierarchical levels. Let's understand this with a simple example. During the power planning stage, we use UPF commands like create_supply_net, create_supply_port, and connect_supply_net. These commands facilitate the addition of ports between hierarchical levels to establish supply connections, ensuring proper power distribution across the design. Another example is feedthrough port punching/creation. In multi-voltage domains, many nets need to travel long distances due to multiple power domains. Since nets are not permitted to cross voltage areas to which they do not belong, this can lead to excessive wiring, congestion, and potential timing violations. We can address these issues by breaking these nets using feedthroughs with extra ports created on the voltage area boundary, allowing nets to travel into ...
Read more

PPA Optimization in Synthesis & Physical Design | Area | VLSI Design

By
In VLSI physical design and synthesis, achieving optimal PPA ( Power, Performance, Area)    is of paramount importance. Among these criteria, area efficiency is a critical consideration. EDA tools play a crucial role in optimizing area utilization hash  is of paramount importance. Among these criteria, area efficiency is a critical consideration. EDA tools play a crucial role in optimizing area utilization. Let's looks into various techniques for area optimization: Auto-Ungrouping & Boundary Optimization: hashtag EDA tools employ auto-ungrouping to strategically break down certain hierarchical structures, benefiting both area and timing. Furthermore, the tools optimize the placement of hierarchical instance boundaries to minimize area usage. It is recommended to keep these settings enabled, unless specific design constraints necessitate otherwise. Sequential Merging/Removal: EDA tools perform sequential analysis to identify and eliminate hashtag sequencial element...
Read more

Placement - Physical Design - Part 2 - General Setup

By
Dear Reader, In our previous vlogs, we looked into the fundamentals of placement flow and algorithms. Here is the link to access Part 1 of the placement vlogs: Understanding of Placement Physical . Before we discuss on a detailed exploration of placement algorithms, let's first address the setup requirements for the placement run. There are various setup and flow optimization settings available with EDA tools to explore, but let's focus on a few essential and mandatory setup requirements for the placement run. 1.Multiple Corner Optimization Setup: In today's design practices, it's crucial to account for multiple corners and assess timing in various scenarios. Therefore, it is imperative to optimize your design for multiple corners during the placement run. We should aim to optimize our design for all available setup corners while possibly excluding the hold corner. set_scenario_status <corner_for_setup> -active true 2. Physical Synthesis Netlist Setting: If you a...
Read more

Longer Routing Length | Tcl Scripting | Routing | Physical Design | VLSI

By
Longer Routing Length | Physical Design | Tcl Scripting In the routing stage of physical design, one of the most important sanity checks is to find out the length of the longer nets. However, EDA tools optimize the length of each net to meet its timing and DRC requirements. Despite their best efforts, EDA tools may not always optimize net lengths due to various reasons such as complexity of the design, limited visibility into the design's timing and signal integrity requirements, inadequate or incomplete design constraints, insufficient optimization algorithms or resources, and trade-offs between different design objectives. What is the impact of longer routing lengths on timing? Longer routing lengths lead to greater delay and can cause timing violations. To mitigate timing violations due to longer routing lengths, techniques such as layer promotion can be used, where the tool promotes the net to a higher metal layer based on needs and violations to meet the timing requirements....
Read more