ACE-GPU: Tackling Choke Point Induced Performance Bottlenecks in a Near-Threshold Computing GPU

Abstract

The proliferation of multicore devices with a strict thermal budget has aided to the research in Near-Threshold Computing (NTC). However, the operation of a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) at the NTC region has still remained recondite. In this work, we explore an important reliability predicament of NTC, called choke points, that severely throttles the performance of GPUs. Employing a cross-layer methodology, we demonstrate the potency of choke points in inducing timing errors in a GPU, operating at the NTC region. We propose a holistic circuit-architectural solution, that promotes an energy-efficient NTC-GPU design paradigm by gracefully tackling the choke point induced timing errors. Our proposed scheme offers 3.18x and 88.5% improvements in NTC-GPU performance and energy delay product, respectively, over a state-of-the-art timing error mitigation technique, with marginal area and power overheads.