Stacked, reconfigurable co-regulation of processing units for ultra-wide dvfs

Abstract

A system and method for supporting an interconnection of processor cores, each core with functional state monitors for monitoring operations of each processor core, the processor cores interconnected using a resistive network connected between two-terminal regions being embedded in the resistive network such that each terminal of a region may be connected by controllable resistors to one or both fixed rails or by controllable resistors to one or more intermediate nodes. The resistor values are configurable to provide indirect control of the voltages across each two-terminal region, allowing full dynamic control of voltages of the two-terminal regions in a range up to the full voltage between the two voltage rails, and where a management unit accesses the functional state monitors and controls the resistor values. Feedback from functional state monitors allow the operating frequency to extend down to arbitrarily low values and up to the limits imposed by the technology.