Dynamic CPU voltage regulator phase shedding
AssigneeDell Products L.P.
InventorJohn E. Jenne
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A voltage regulator phase shedding system includes one or more subsystems to receive a system management interrupt (SMI), gather processor utilization information, determine whether to adjust a performance state, lookup voltage regulator information for new performance state, adjust active voltage regulator phase, and adjust performance state. The voltage regulator phase shedding system can also include one or more subsystems to read a power measurement, calculate throttling requirements, determine whether to adjust a throttling, lookup voltage regulator information for new performance state capacity, adjust active voltage regulator phase, and adjust throttling.
Claims20
A method for shedding voltage regulator phases, comprising:
- determining, by a management system, that an Information Handling System (IHS) component is operating at a first performance level;
- determining, by the management system, that a voltage regulator is operating at a first efficiency with the IHS component operating at the first performance level;
- determining, by the management system, that shedding at least one voltage regulator phase of the voltage regulator will cause the voltage regulator to operate at a higher efficiency;
- and
- causing, by the management system, the voltage regulator to shed the at least one voltage regulator phase while the IHS component is operating at the first performance level.
A method for changing performance levels of an Information Handling System (IHS) component, comprising:
- operating, by an IHS component, at a first performance level;
- determining, by a management system, that a voltage regulator will operate more efficiently with the IHS component operating at a higher performance level if at least one additional voltage regulator phase is enabled and, in response, enabling the at least one voltage regulator phase in the voltage regulator;
- and
- causing, by the management system, the IHS component to operate at the higher performance level subsequent to enabling the at least one voltage regulator phase.
A method for performing throttling, comprising:
- calculating, by a management system, throttling requirements for an information handling system (IHS) component, wherein the calculating is performed while the IHS component is operating at a first performance level;
- determining, by the management system, voltage regulator phase efficiency information for a voltage regulator based on the throttling requirements for the IHS component;
- adjusting, by the management system, at least one voltage regulator phase for the voltage regulator using the voltage regulator phase efficiency information;
- and
- throttling, by the management system, according to the throttling requirements subsequent to adjusting the at least one voltage regulator phase, wherein the IHS component remains operating at the first performance level subsequent to the throttling.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.