Power analysis of a 32-bit embedded microcontroller

A new approach for power analysis of microprocessorshas recently been proposed [1]. The idea is to look at the power consumption in a microprocessor from the point of view of the actual software executingon the processor. The basiccomponentof this approachis a measurement based, instruction-level power analysis technique. The technique allows for the development of an instruction-level power model for the given processor, which can be used to evaluate software in terms of the power consumption, and for exploring the optimization of software for lower power. This paper describes the application of this technique for a comprehensive instructionlevel power analysis of a commercial 32-bit RISC-based embedded microcontroller. The salient results of the analysis and the basic instruction-level power model are described. Interesting observations and insights based on the results are also presented. Such an instruction-level power analysis can provide cues as to what optimizations in the micr...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1995
• Where: ASPDAC
• Authors: Vivek Tiwari, Mike Tien-Chien Lee
• Keywords: ASPDAC 1995, Hardware, Instruction-level Power, Instruction-level Power Analysis, Power Analysis