Co-optimization of Performance and Power in a Superscalar Processor Design

Abstract. As process technology scales down, power wall starts to hinder improvements in processor performance. Performance optimization has to proceed under a power constraint. The co-optimization requires exploration into a huge design space containing both performance and power factors, whose size is over costly for extensive traditional simulations. This paper describes a unified model covering both performance and power. The model consists of workload parameters, architectural parameters plus corresponding power parameters with a good degree of accuracy compared with physical processors and simulators. We apply the model to the problem of co-optimizing the power and performance. Concrete insights into the tradeoffs of designs for performance and power are obtained in the process of co-optimization.