Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Andres Felipe Hernandez Mojica

William Paul Hovis

Garrett Douglas Blankenburg

Brian K Langendorf

Peter Anthony Atkinson

Erng-Sing Wee

Robert James Ray

Samy Boshra-Riad

Rich Tat An

Gregory Mayo Daly

Steven William Ranta

Brian Keith Langendorf

Power control and decoupling capacitance arrangements for integrated circuit devices are discussed herein. In one example, an assembly includes a first circuit assembly comprising a first circuit board coupled to an integrated circuit device, wherein the first circuit board is coupled to first surface of a system circuit board. The assembly also includes a second circuit assembly comprising a second circuit board having one or more voltage adjustment units configured to supply at least one input voltage to the integrated circuit device, wherein the second circuit board is coupled to a second surface of the system circuit board and positioned at least partially under a footprint of the integrated circuit device with respect to the system circuit board.

Through-board power control arrangements for integrated circuit devices

Power control arrangements for integrated circuit devices are discussed herein. In one example, an assembly includes an integrated circuit device comprising one or more processing cores and a power domain configured to distribute a supply voltage to the one or more processing cores. The assembly also includes a charge injection circuit coupled to the power domain of the integrated circuit device, and configured to selectively couple electric charge into the power domain to predictively offset at least portions of voltage transients in the power domain.

Predictive voltage transient reduction in integrated circuits

Power supply architectures and enhanced power control techniques are presented herein. In one example, a system includes a plurality of power supply phases and a system processor. The system processor comprises a processing unit comprising a plurality of processing cores, a plurality of power domains configured to segregate power distribution for the processing unit into sets of the plurality of processing cores, and external connections configured to couple individual ones the plurality of power domains to individual ones of the plurality of power supply phases.

Integrated circuit power domains segregated among power supply phases

Power supply circuitry and enhanced associated techniques are presented herein. In one example, a method includes powering a circuit with a plurality of power supply phases, and monitoring thermal properties of the plurality of power supply phases. Responsive to the thermal properties indicating at least one of the plurality of power supply phases exceeds a thermal threshold, the method includes selecting a dormant power supply phase to supplant the at least one of the plurality of power supply phases.

Thermal rotation of power supply phases

Power reduction and voltage adjustment techniques for computing systems and processing devices are presented herein. In one example, a method includes executing a voltage characterization service for a processing device of a computing apparatus to determine at least one supply voltage for the processing device, the voltage characterization service comprising a functional test that exercises the processing device at iteratively adjusted voltages in context with associated system elements of the computing apparatus. During execution of the voltage characterization service, the method includes monitoring for operational failures of at least the processing device, and responsive to the operational failures, determining at least one resultant supply voltage.

Processor device supply voltage characterization

Computing assemblies, such as blade servers, can comprise a plurality of modular computing elements coupled onto an associated circuit board assembly. Assemblies and systems having enhanced individual computing module placement and arrangement are discussed herein, as well as example systems and operations to manufacture such assemblies. In one example, a method includes executing a performance test on a plurality of computing modules to determine at least variability in power consumption across the plurality of computing modules, and binning the plurality of computing modules according to graduated levels of the variability in power consumption. The method also includes selecting from among the graduated levels for placement in an assembly of ones of the computing modules in a progressively lower power consumption arrangement with relation to an airflow of the assembly.

Thermal arrangement of modules in server assemblies

Voltage adjustment techniques for computing systems and processing devices are presented herein. In one example, a method of determining operating voltages for a processing device includes executing a voltage adjustment process to determine at least one input voltage for the processing device lower than a manufacturer specified operating voltage. During the voltage adjustment process, the method includes applying incrementally adjusted input voltages to the processing device, operating the processing device according to a functional test that exercises the processing device in context with associated system elements of a computing assembly, and monitoring for operational failures of at least the processing device during application of each of the incrementally adjusted input voltages. Responsive to the operational failures, the method includes determining corresponding values of the incrementally adjusted input voltages and establishing an input voltage based at least in part on the corresponding values of the incrementally adjusted input voltages.

Input voltage reduction for processing devices

Thermal reduction and voltage adjustment techniques for computing systems and processing devices are presented herein. In a first example, a method of operating a voltage control system for a processing device includes operating the processing device in a computing assembly at a selected performance level, the processing device supplied with at least one input voltage at a first voltage level. The method includes monitoring thermal information associated with the computing assembly, and when the thermal information indicates a temperature associated with the computing assembly exceeds a threshold temperature, adjusting the at least one input voltage level supplied to the processing device to a second voltage level lower than the first voltage level and continuing to operate the processing device at the selected performance level.

Voltage based thermal control of processing device

Power reduction and voltage adjustment techniques for computing systems and processing devices are presented herein. In one example, a method includes receiving a voltage characterization service over a communication interface of the computing apparatus as transferred by a deployment platform remote from the computing apparatus. The method includes executing the voltage characterization service for a processing device of the computing apparatus to determine at least one input voltage for the processing device lower than a manufacturer specified operating voltage, the voltage characterization service comprising a functional test that exercises the processing device at iteratively adjusted voltages in context with associated system elements of the computing apparatus. During execution of the voltage characterization service, the method includes monitoring for operational failures of at least the processing device, and responsive to the operational failures, restarting the processing device using a recovery voltage higher than a current value of the iteratively adjusted voltages.

Processor device voltage characterization

Secure voltage adjustment techniques for computing systems and processing devices are presented herein. In one example, a method of controlling operating voltages for a processing device includes initializing a security portion of the processing device after application of input voltages to the processing device as supplied by voltage regulation circuitry according to voltage identifiers (VIDs) established for the processing device. The method includes, in the security portion, generating adjusted input voltages based on at least the VIDs and authenticated voltage offset information stored according to a digitally signed security process, and instructing the voltage regulation circuitry to supply the adjusted input voltages to the processing device.

Growing community of inventors

Seattle, WA, United States of America

Andres Felipe Hernandez Mojica