CMOS voltage regulator to reduce CPU power consumption by up to 35 percent

Iria · Aug 25, 2005, 09:36 PM

San Francisco (CA) - In an effort to fine-tune power management, Intel discovered that accelerated voltage regulation could save considerable amounts of power and deliver up to 40 minutes more computing time, when applied to the standards of today's notebooks. Today, the company unveiled its "CMOS voltage regulator," and promised to make the technology available within a few years.

With all announcements for the immediate future out of the way, Intel typically dedicates the third day of its Developers' Forum to provide a "blue-sky" outlook, featuring how computing may change five or ten years down the road. In a keynote for Thursday's session, Justin Rattner, senior fellow and director of the firm's corporate technology group, focused on the topic of a "user-aware platform," which brings together devices that support the user, rather than the other way around.

Once again, "power efficiency" was the catch-phrase of the day, with Rattner offering a longer range view on how Intel plans to drive down power consumption. One of the company's new strategies is accelerated voltage regulation. Compared to today's coarse-grained power management that often disallows adjustments in voltage during fast-changing workloads, this new technology, according to Rattner, will enable voltage level adjustments in a fraction of a microsecond.

To accomplish this, Intel promises to throw out the voltage regulators scattered around today's motherboards, and in its place, integrate a new CMOS voltage regulator inside a single package, located close or even inside the CPU. Faster voltage regulation means increased response time, and less power wasted by each core.
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Read More / Source: Tom's Hardware Guide

Aug 25, 2005, 09:36 PM	#1
Iria DriverHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 7,275 Rep Power: 89	CMOS voltage regulator to reduce CPU power consumption by up to 35 percent San Francisco (CA) - In an effort to fine-tune power management, Intel discovered that accelerated voltage regulation could save considerable amounts of power and deliver up to 40 minutes more computing time, when applied to the standards of today's notebooks. Today, the company unveiled its "CMOS voltage regulator," and promised to make the technology available within a few years. With all announcements for the immediate future out of the way, Intel typically dedicates the third day of its Developers' Forum to provide a "blue-sky" outlook, featuring how computing may change five or ten years down the road. In a keynote for Thursday's session, Justin Rattner, senior fellow and director of the firm's corporate technology group, focused on the topic of a "user-aware platform," which brings together devices that support the user, rather than the other way around. Once again, "power efficiency" was the catch-phrase of the day, with Rattner offering a longer range view on how Intel plans to drive down power consumption. One of the company's new strategies is accelerated voltage regulation. Compared to today's coarse-grained power management that often disallows adjustments in voltage during fast-changing workloads, this new technology, according to Rattner, will enable voltage level adjustments in a fraction of a microsecond. To accomplish this, Intel promises to throw out the voltage regulators scattered around today's motherboards, and in its place, integrate a new CMOS voltage regulator inside a single package, located close or even inside the CPU. Faster voltage regulation means increased response time, and less power wasted by each core. __________ Read More / Source: Tom's Hardware Guide