US 2009/0158067 A1 · SAVING POWER IN A COMPUTER SYSTEM

Abstract

A power management unit (PMU) may promote a processing core from a working state to a first non-working power saving state after receiving a signal from an automatic core C-state promotion (ACCP) unit. An OS component may detect the idling of the processing core and may initiate the ACCP. The ACCP may initiate the PMU to promote the processing core to a first non-working power saving state. The ACCP may track the residency time of the processing core in the first non-working power saving state and may initiate the PMU to promote the processing core to a next non-working power saving state if residency time of the processing core in the first non-working power saving state exceeds a first value. The ACCP may initiate the PMU to demote the processing core back to the working state if a break event occurs during the residency time.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method comprising:

changing a processor core from a first power saving state to a second power saving state in response to receiving a power state promote signal, wherein power-state promote signal is generated in response to occurrence of a state changing parameter, and
changing the processor core from the first power saving state to a third state if an event occurs during the time in which the processor core is in the first power saving state, wherein the third state is a higher power consumption state than the first power saving state.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Saving power in a computer system

Life of this patent

Saving power in a computer system

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20