System power management support in the IBM POWER6 microprocessor

  • Authors:
  • M. S. Floyd;S. Ghiasi;T. W. Keller;K. Rajamani;F. L. Rawson;J. C. Rubio;M. S. Ware

  • Affiliations:
  • IBM Systems and Technology Group, Austin, Texas;IBM Research Division, Austin Research Laboratory, Austin, Texas;IBM Research Division, Austin Research Laboratory, Austin, Texas;IBM Research Division, Austin Research Laboratory, Austin, Texas;IBM Research Division, Austin Research Laboratory, Austin, Texas;IBM Research Division, Austin Research Laboratory, Austin, Texas;IBM Research Division, Austin Research Laboratory, Austin, Texas

  • Venue:
  • IBM Journal of Research and Development
  • Year:
  • 2007

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Abstract

The IBM POWER6™ microprocessor chip supports advanced, dynamic power management solutions for managing not, just the chip but the entire server. The design facilitates a programmable power management solution for greater flexibility and integration into system- and data-center-wide management solutions. The design of the POWER6 microprocessor provides real-time access to detailed and accurate information on power, temperature, and performance. Together, the sensing, actuation, and management support available in the POWER6 processor, known as the EnergyScale™ architecture, enables higher performance, greater energy efficiency, and new power management capabilities such as power and thermal capping and power savings with explicit performance control. This paper provides an overview of the innovative design of the POWER6 processor that enables these advanced, dynamic system power management solutions.