A robust ultra-low voltage CPU utilizing timing-error prevention




Markus Hiienkari, Jukka Teittinen, Lauri Koskinen, Matthew Turnquist, Jani Mäkipää, Arto Rantala, Matti Sopanen, Mikko Kaltiokallio

PublisherMDPI AG

2015

Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications

5

2

57

68

12

2079-9268

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.3390/jlpea5020057

www.mdpi.com/2079-9268/5/2/57/



To minimize energy consumption of a digital circuit, logic can be operated at sub- or near-threshold voltage. Operation at this region is challenging due to device and environment variations, and resulting performance may not be adequate to all applications. This article presents two variants of a 32-bit RISC CPU targeted for near-threshold voltage. Both CPUs are placed on the same die and manufactured in 28 nm CMOS process. They employ timing-error prevention with clock stretching to enable operation with minimal safety margins while maximizing performance and energy efficiency at a given operating point. Measurements show minimum energy of 3.15 pJ/cyc at 400 mV, which corresponds to 39% energy saving compared to operation based on static signoff timing.


Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 22:34