US 10,379,596 B2 · Providing an interface for demotion control information in a processor

Abstract

In one embodiment, a processor includes: a plurality of cores; a power controller including a logic to autonomously demote a first request for at least one core of the plurality of cores to enter a first low power state, to cause the at least one core to enter a second low power state, the first low power state a deeper low power state than the second low power state; and an interface to receive an input from a system software, the input including at least one demotion control parameter, where the logic is to autonomously demote the first request based at least in part on the at least one demotion control parameter. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A processor comprising:

a plurality of cores;
a power controller including a logic to autonomously demote a request for at least one core of the plurality of cores to enter a first low power state, to cause the at least one core to enter a second low power state, the first low power state a deeper low power state than the second low power state;
and
an interface to receive an input from a system software, the input including at least one demotion control parameter separate from the request, wherein the logic is to autonomously demote the request based at least in part on the at least one demotion control parameter, and the system software is to provide a first value of the at least one demotion control parameter when a first workload is to execute on the at least one core and provide a second value of the at least one demotion control parameter when a second workload is to execute on the at least one core.

1 more element

A non-transitory machine-readable medium having stored thereon instructions, which if performed by a machine cause the machine to perform a method comprising:

receiving, in a power control logic of a processor via an interface, at least one demotion control parameter from a system software, the at least one demotion control parameter comprising a tuning for autonomous demotion of a low power state request, the at least one demotion control parameter having a first control value when a first workload is executing on the processor and having a second control value when a second workload is executing on the processor;
storing the at least one demotion control parameter in a storage associated with the power control logic;
and
causing at least one core of the processor to enter into a first low power state, based at least in part on the at least one demotion control parameter, the first low power state different than a requested low power state.

1 more element

A system comprising:

a processor having a plurality of cores and a power controller to receive a tuning for at least one demotion control parameter via an interface with a system software, wherein the power controller is to cause at least one core of the plurality of cores to enter a first low power state responsive to a request for a second low power state, the second low power state a deeper low power state than the first low power state, based at least in part on the at least one demotion control parameter, the tuning for the at least one demotion control parameter separate from the request for the second low power state, and wherein the system software is to provide a first value of the at least one demotion control parameter when a first workload is to execute on the at least one core and provide a second value of the at least one demotion control parameter when a second workload is to execute on the at least one core;
a voltage regulator to provide at least one voltage to the processor, wherein the power controller is to control a level of the at least one voltage;
and
a storage to store the system software, wherein the system software includes configuration information comprising the at least one demotion control parameter.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Providing an interface for demotion control information in a processor

Life of this patent

Providing an interface for demotion control information in a processor

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18