System-on-chip and an operating method thereof

An operating method of a system-on-chip (SoC) which includes a processor including a first cluster, which includes a first core and a second core, and a dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) module and a clock management unit (CMU) for supplying an operating clock to the first core, the operating method comprising:

• obtaining a required performance of the first core;
• finding available frequencies meeting the required performance;
• obtaining information for calculating energy consumption for each of the available frequencies;
• calculating the energy consumption for each of the available frequencies, based on the information;
• determining a frequency, which causes minimum energy consumption, from among the available frequencies as an optimal frequency;
• and
• adjusting an operating frequency to be supplied to the first core to the optimal frequency,
• wherein the information includes a level of an operating voltage of the second core included in the first cluster,
• wherein the calculating of the energy consumption for each of the available frequencies based on the information includes:
• calculating a dynamic power for a first frequency from among the available frequencies, based on the information;
• calculating a static power for the first frequency, based on the information;
• and
• multiplying each of the dynamic power and the static power by a unit time, wherein the unit time is determined differently depending on whether the power is dynamic or static.

A system-on-chip (SoC) comprising:

• a processor including a first core;
• a clock management unit (CMU) configured to generate an operating clock and supply the operating clock to the first core, under control of the processor;
• and
• a memory configured to store a dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) program,
• wherein the DVFS program, when executed by the processor, causes the processor to:
• obtain a required performance of the first core;
• find available frequencies meeting the required performance;
• obtain information for calculating energy consumption for each of the available frequencies;
• calculate the energy consumption for each of the available frequencies, based on the information;
• determine a frequency, which causes minimum energy consumption, from among the available frequencies as an optimal frequency;
• and
• scale an operating frequency to be supplied to the first core to the optimal frequency,
• wherein the DVFS program, when executed by the processor, further causes the processor to:
• calculate a first dynamic power and a first static power for a first frequency from among the available frequencies, based on the information;
• calculate first dynamic energy for the first frequency based on the first dynamic power;
• calculate first static energy for the first frequency based on the first static power;
• and
• calculate first energy consumption associated with the first frequency by multiplying the first dynamic energy and the first static energy by a unit time, wherein the unit time is determined differently depending on whether the energy is dynamic or static.