Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Andrew Stephen Burnham

Paul Jeffrey Garnett

Jay Kevin Osborn

J Rothe Kinnard

A computer system is provided having at least one processing resource, at least one power resource and at least one redundant power resource. The at least one processing resource is operable to exploit a greater level of power than is provided by the at least one power resource. The at least one processing resource is configured to exploit power provided by both the at least one power resource and the at least one redundant power resource, at a time when both the at least one power resource and the at least one redundant power resource are both operable to provide power. The at least one processing resource is further configured to limit its power consumption to the power supply capability of one of the power resource and the redundant power resource when one of the power resource and the redundant power resource is not available

Adaptive throttling

Apparatus forming a computer system or such-like is disclosed that includes a central processing unit (CPU) and a power supply unit. The CPU provides a digital voltage ID (VID) signal output indicative of the power supply voltage that it desires to receive. The power supply unit has a control input for receiving a digital VID signal from the CPU. The power output from the unit is then provided to the CPU at a voltage level in accordance with the received digital VID signal. A VID offset generator is interposed between the CPU and the power supply unit. This receives the digital VID signal from the CPU, and modifies it by applying a positive or negative offset. The modified digital VID signal is then passed to the power supply unit, which supplies a voltage to the CPU as per the modified VID signal, rather than the VID signal originally output by the CPU.

Method and apparatus for supplying power to a processor at a controlled voltage

There is provided a computing apparatus. The computing apparatus has first and second computing elements and a heatsink thermally coupled to each of the first and second computing elements. A portion of the heatsink thermally coupled to the first computing element is thermally separated from a portion of the heatsink thermally coupled to the second computing element by a region having a reduced thermal conductivity.

Growing community of inventors

Leatherhead, United Kingdom

Andrew Stephen Burnham