The triangle of power density, circuit degradation and reliability

Abstract

Power density will stay a major challenge for the foreseeable future. Despite orders-of-magnitude-improved efficiency, power consumption per area is sharply rising, mainly due to the limits of voltage scaling. To investigate the physical implications of high power densities, we must distinguish between peak and average temperatures and temporal and spatial thermal gradients because they trigger circuit-aging mechanisms and eventually jeopardize the reliability of an on-chip system. The talk starts by presenting some basic interdependencies in the triangle of power density, circuit degradation and reliability and continues with some solutions to mitigate the problem via, among others, power density-aware resource management and efficient power budgeting.