Minimizing performance loss on workloads that exhibit frequent core wake-up activity

Abstract

A processor may include a cause agnostic frequency dither filter (FD filter), which may cause reduction in the frequency transitions while maintaining the performance levels. The FD Filter may minimize the performance loss, which may otherwise accrue from these frequency transitions, while trying to maximize the peak frequency of the processor. The FD filter may determine a minimum and maximum limit, which may be used by a power management unit (PMU) to restrict the number of frequency transitions to be within a specified threshold. The FD filter may determine the maximum and minimum limits based on transition data stored in internal tables captured during one or more time windows (or observation windows). Based on an average system behavior, the PMU may either apply the minimum or the maximum limit over the subsequent time window.