New Process to Simultaneously Measure, Quantify, and Model Energy Efficient Performance

Abstract

The term Energy Efficient Performance has been used for over a decade to describe high performance at optimized power levels. While power characterization methods and formal performance assessment techniques are well established and utilized, no standard exists to quantify both metrics simultaneously as a means to establish energy efficient performance. As energy budgets continue to shrink and the expectation for increased performance remains, the need for a process that simultaneously models power versus performance tradeoffs becomes ever more critical. This paper describes a new process developed, prototyped, and implemented in Intel's client post-Si validation labs that is actively being used to measure, process, and model energy efficient performance. The paper will describe methods that simultaneously acquire power and performance measurements, post-process that power data into energy measurements, and model multi-dimensional energy vs. performance tradeoffs. It will also demonstrate how the process is actively being applied to isolate negative energy efficient performance outliers for debug and to tune for best energy efficient performance across multiple product segments.