Self power audit and control circuitry for microprocessor functional units

A power audit and control circuit for monitoring and controlling power dissipation of functional units within a microprocessor on an integrated circuit, comprising:

• a power sensing circuit fabricated on the integrated circuit and located proximate a functional unit for measuring or estimating power dissipation of the functional unit;
• a low power mode identifying circuit fabricated on the integrated circuit receiving the measured or estimated power dissipation of the functional unit and generating a low power mode enable signal when the measured or estimated power dissipation exceeds a predetermined amount;
• an instruction dispatch unit generating a request signal when the instruction dispatch unit receives an instruction for instructing the functional circuit to perform an operation;
• circuitry for controlling the power dissipation in the functional unit by placing the functional circuit into a low power mode or a normal power mode in response to the low power mode enable signal and the request signal and for generating a status signal indicating the functional unit is operating in the normal power mode.