Temperature management for integrated circuits

A system for controlling temperature of individual microprocessors in a multiprocessor system, wherein the microprocessors are interconnected by a bus, comprising:

• a first temperature sensor in contact with a first microprocessor in the multiprocessor system;
• a second temperature sensor in contact with a second microprocessor in the multiprocessor system;
• a bus controller connected to the bus;
• and
• logic control circuitry connected to the first and second temperature sensors and to the bus control circuitry;
• wherein the logic control circuitry monitors the temperature of the first and second microprocessors, and signals the bus controller to route microprocessor tasks preferentially to the microprocessor at the lower temperature.

A method for selective regional temperature control in a microprocessor chip having first and second distinct functional circuits occupying distinct first and second regions of the chip respectively, comprising steps of:

• (a) sensing the temperature of the first region with a first temperature sensor within the first region, and of the second region with a second temperature sensor within the second region;
• (b) providing an indication of the temperature of each region to a logic control circuit connected to a clock rate adjusting circuit in turn connected to the first and second functional circuits;
• and
• (c) altering clock rate to the first and second functional circuits individually as a function of the temperature indicated by the first and second temperature sensors respectively.

A method for controlling temperature of individual microprocessors in a multiprocessor system, wherein the microprocessors are interconnected by a bus, comprising steps of:

• (a) sensing temperature of individual microprocessors in the multiprocessor system;
• (b) reporting the sensed temperatures to a logic control circuit;
• and
• (c) signalling a bus controller connected to the bus to route microprocessor tasks preferentially to microprocessors at the lowest temperatures.