Power and timing optimization for an integrated circuit by voltage modification across various ranges of temperatures

A computer-implemented method of designing a system, including an integrated circuit (IC) chip, that optimizes power and timing for the IC chip by modifying a voltage supplied to the IC chip, while meeting power consumption and timing delay performances across lower and higher temperature ranges, said method comprising:

• selecting, by a computer, said timing delay performance of said IC chip, all cells of said IC chip using an IC technology that exhibits temperature inversion, said selecting of said timing delay performance resulting from a closed timing analysis of said all cells of said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including a high voltage being applied across a full temperature range for all operation, said full temperature range being divided into a lower temperature range and a higher temperature range, and a low voltage being applied across said higher temperature range;
• selecting, by said computer, said power consumption performance of said IC chip, said selecting of said power consumption performance resulting from a closed timing analysis of said all cells of said IC chip over a multi-dimensional parameterized space, including said high voltage being applied across said lower temperature range and a portion of said higher temperature range extending from a lower bound of said higher temperature range to a temperature cut point within said higher temperature range, and said low voltage being applied from said temperature cut point to an upper bound of said higher temperature range;
• selecting, by said computer, a high voltage to be supplied to all cells of said IC chip, said high voltage meeting said timing delay performance for said IC chip across said full temperature range for all operation, said full temperature range being divided into a lower temperature range and a higher temperature range, said high voltage meeting said power consumption performance across said lower temperature range and a portion of said higher temperature range extending from a lower bound of said higher temperature range to a temperature cut point within a range of temperature cut points in said higher temperature range;
• selecting, by said computer, a low voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip, said low voltage meeting said timing delay performance and said power consumption performance from said temperature cut point to an upper bound of said higher temperature range;
• selecting, by said computer, said temperature cut point from said range of temperature cut points having a lowermost value adjacent to an upper bound of said lower temperature range, where said high voltage being lowered to said low voltage maintains said timing delay performance for said IC chip, and an uppermost value, where said high voltage being lowered to said low voltage is required to meet said power consumption performance for said IC chip;
• assigning, by said computer, said high voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip by a voltage regulator of said system, upon powering-on said system;
• and
• assigning said low voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip by said voltage regulator, when a temperature of said IC chip monitored by a temperature monitor of said system indicates said temperature cut point is exceeded.

A non-transitory computer program storage device readable by a computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the computer to perform a method of optimizing power and timing for an integrated circuit (IC) chip by modifying a voltage supplied to the IC chip, while meeting power consumption and timing delay performances across lower and higher temperature ranges, said method comprising:

• selecting a high voltage to be supplied to all cells of said IC chip using an IC technology that exhibits temperature inversion, said high voltage meeting said timing delay performance from a closed timing analysis for said IC chip across a full temperature range for all operation, said full temperature range being divided into a lower temperature range and a higher temperature range, said high voltage meeting said power consumption performance across said lower temperature range and a portion of said higher temperature range extending from a lower bound of said higher temperature range to a temperature cut point within a range of temperature cut points in said higher temperature range;
• selecting a low voltage to be supplied to said all cells of said IC chip, said low voltage meeting said timing delay performance and said power consumption performance from said temperature cut point to an upper bound of said higher temperature range;
• powering-on said all cells of said IC chip at said high voltage;
• after said powering-on, monitoring a temperature of said IC chip;
• and
• lowering said high voltage supplied to said all cells of said IC chip to said low voltage, when said temperature cut point is exceeded, to meet said power consumption performance while meeting said timing delay performance.