Qualcomm Incorporated

Ravi Jenkal

Anish Muttreja

Donghyun Kim

Edwin Jose

Edgar Marti-Arbona

Gordon Lee

Andrew Evan Gruber

Matthew Levi Severson

Ronald Alton

Gordon P Lee

Marko Harry Koski

Kevin Bowles

Prashanth Kumar Kakkireni

Marko Koski

Kevin Bradley Citterelle

A method and apparatuses for power regulation using an extended current limit are disclosed. The power regulator detects an occurrence of an output current of the regulator exceeding a first current limit, triggers an extended current limit timer based on the detected occurrence, regulates the output current according to a second current limit higher than the first current limit based on a duration of the extended current limit timer, and regulates the output current according to the first current limit based on an expiration of the duration of the extended current limit timer.

Methods and apparatuses for extended current limit for power regulation

Computer processing unit intra-frame clock and voltage scaling based on graphics application awareness is disclosed. The computer processing unit includes a processor configured to execute a graphics application to generate a graphics image for output to a display. The computer processing unit includes a power management circuit configured to perform clock and voltage scaling (CVS) (i.e., frequency and/or voltage scaling) for the processor. The power management circuit is configured to identify a graphics application dispatched to be executed or being executed by the processor and to set the operating point for the processor based on the identified graphics application. This may allow the processor to operate at a more optimal operating point for performance of graphics and non-graphics applications as opposed to operating each application at a lower operating point due to a graphics application that is more current intensive.

Computer processing unit intra-frame clock and voltage scaling based on graphics application awareness

Various embodiments include power management system methods including receiving, at a processor(s), a notification signal triggering the processor(s) to implement power usage mitigation at the processor(s), determining, by the processor(s), a mitigation amount of power rail power by which to mitigate current usage at a power rail based on a use case for the power rail, and implementing power usage mitigation at the processor(s) by the processor(s) sufficient to mitigate power usage at the power rail by the mitigation amount of power rail power. Power usage mitigation may include reducing processor(s) current usage: by a predefined amount; proportional to the amount a power rail current exceeds a power rail current threshold; by the amount of current exceeding a processor current threshold; or by a smallest amount between the amount a power rail current exceeds a power rail current threshold and the processor(s) current exceeds a processor current threshold.

Extended power threshold management of power rails

A system is provided that controls the clocking of a processor depending upon its usage of execution units. As the processor transitions from a default mode of operation using a default number of the execution units to an increased load mode of operation using an increased number of the execution units, a current drawn by the processor from a power rail remains substantially unchanged.

Processor load step balancing

In general, techniques are described for visibility-based state updates in graphical processing units (GPUs). A device that renders image data comprising a memory configured to store state data and a GPU may implement the techniques. The GPU may be configured to perform a multi-pass rendering process to render an image from the image data. The GPU determines visibility information for a plurality of objects defined by the image data during a first pass of the multi-pass rendering process. The visibility information indicates whether each of the plurality of objects will be visible in the image rendered from the image data during a second pass of the multi-pass rendering process. The GPU then retrieves the state data from the memory for use by the second pass of the multi-pass rendering process in rendering the plurality of objects of the image data based on the visibility information.

Visibility-based state updates in graphical processing units

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San Diego, CA, United States of America

Ravi Jenkal