Method and apparatus for disassociating power consumed within a processing system with instructions it is executing

An apparatus within a processing device having multiple subsystems for randomizing the total power consumed within the processing device, comprising:

• a random value generator, for generating a random value as instructions are executed by the processing device;
• and
• subsystem inhibition control, coupled to said random value generator, for turning on/off selected ones of the multiple subsystems;
• wherein said subsystem inhibition control disassociates said instructions that are executed from power consumed by the processing device during their execution.

A computer program product for use with a computing device, the computer program product comprising:

• a computer usable medium, having computer readable program code embodied in said medium, for causing a processing device having multiple subsystems to be described, said computer readable program code comprising:
• first program code for providing a power prediction system for providing a predictor of estimated power that will be consumed during execution of instructions by the processing device;
• and
• second program code for providing a subsystem inhibition control, coupled to said power prediction system, for receiving said predictor, and for turning on/off selected ones of the subsystems based on the value of said predictor.

A method for providing a security system for a microprocessor based system having multiple subsystems, the security system insuring that the power consumption of the microprocessor based system is not indicative of the instructions that it is executing, the method comprising:

• providing computer-readable program code describing the security system, the program code comprising:
• first program code for describing a power correlator, the correlator for estimating the power that the microprocessor based system will consume during execution of instructions;
• and
• second program code for describing a subsystem inhibition control, coupled to the power correlator, for utilizing the estimated power, and for selectively turning on/off ones of the multiple subsystems within the microprocessor based system during execution of the instructions;
• wherein the ones of the multiple subsystems that are turned on/off are selected so as to disassociate the total power consumed by the microprocessor based system from the instructions it is executing;
• transmitting the computer-readable program code as a computer data signal on a network.

A method for providing an apparatus within a processing device having multiple subsystems for randomizing the total power consumed within the processing device, the method comprising:

• providing computer-readable program code describing the apparatus, the program code comprising:
• first program code for describing a random value generator, for generating a random value as instructions are executed by the processing device;
• and
• second program code for describing a subsystem inhibition control, coupled to the random value generator, for turning on/off selected ones of the multiple systems;
• wherein the subsystem inhibition control disassociates the instructions that are executed from power consumed by the processing device during their execution;
• and
• transmitting the computer-readable program code as a computer data signal on a network.