Services relieve thermal constraints in processors

Consequently, multifaceted services are now available to design teams for increasing design margins when implementing high-performance multi-core processors.

Faced with too much power draw and not enough room to dissipate generated heat, engineers must find ways to enhance their designs accordingly. By engaging with Teledyne e2v at the conception phase, the customer’s technical team has the opportunity to better assess design margins that Teledyne e2v offers at the processor level. This will help them to understand what particular confines must be kept within. Teledyne e2v’s skills and experience in processor usage makes it the partner of choice for improving power or thermal performance on processor-based systems

Through in-depth analysis of the system’s overall behavior, it is possible to define the best approach to overcome potential challenges posed by keeping to a limited available power budget, as well as those relating to space saving measures. Data on parameters like processor CPU load, core frequency and junction temperature can be consulted in order to do this.

Following on from that, Teledyne e2v’s ability to screen and deliver power optimised processors means that units can be supplied that are an optimal fit with the defined criteria. Heightened performance benchmarks can thereby be achieved, while still conserving power resources and minimising heat generation.

“Very often it will only be towards the end of their design projects that engineers will encounter power and thermal management issues, but the enclosures that hardware gets housed inside leave little space for heatsinking or fans, leading to performance trade-offs being made,” Thomas PORCHEZ, Application Engineer at Teledyne e2v explained. “In addition, engineers may be forced to leave enough ‘headroom’ to install future system upgrades, and this will put further pressure on making the system as power efficient as possible.

“Space constraints or potential for mechanical failure could also mean that fan-less systems are mandated. There might even be a need to provision for maintaining operation in extreme circumstances - for instance systems being able to keep running for a prolonged period even if the accompanying fans are no longer working.

“This is where our expertise is proving to be vital. Through our combination of screening and technical advice, we have already successfully halved power consumption levels in some customer deployments.”