Power management architecture, method and configuration system

A power management method, comprising:

• accessing power consumption data of a plurality of components in a programmable integrated circuit design, wherein respective drivers for the plurality of components are displayable as graphic images within an on-screen display of an integrated circuit design tool for developing the programmable integrated circuit design, and wherein the respective drivers are operable to add a function of collecting and reporting the power consumption data of the plurality of components;
• accessing power supply data of at least one power source associated with the programmable integrated circuit design;
• and
• determining a power state of the programmable integrated circuit design by assessing the power consumption data and the power supply data.

A design tool comprising instructions that when executed on a processor implement a method of power management of a programmable integrated circuit design, the method comprising:

• accessing power consumption data of a plurality of components in the programmable integrated circuit design;
• accessing power supply data of at least one power source associated with the programmable integrated circuit design;
• determining a power state of the programmable integrated circuit design by assessing the power consumption data and the power supply data, wherein the integrated circuit design tool is operable to display respective drivers for the plurality of components within an on-screen display, wherein the respective drivers are operable to add at least one power management characteristic to the programmable integrated circuit design;
• and
• automatically generating application firmware to implement the power management including the at least one power management characteristic.