High-Performance Microprocessor DesignOutlineIntroductionPowerClockVerificationHigh-Performance Microprocessor DesignHigh-Performance Microprocessor DesignOutline•Introduction•Technology scaling•Power•Clock•VerificationHigh-Performance Microprocessor DesignIntroduction•Alpha has historically been at the forefront of processor performance–Clean architectural design–Clever micro-architectural design–Aggressive circuit design•As a result, Alpha designers had to be at the forefront in dealing with the challenges of DSM scaling.High-Performance Microprocessor DesignPower•Power dissipation limits performance–Lower voltage–Conditional clocks•Power distribution is a major concern–Supply affects circuit performance, reliability–IR drops, L dI/dt drops–Requires careful design of power supply grid–On/off chip decoupling capacitorsHigh-Performance Microprocessor DesignClock•High clock rates require extremely careful clock design. Must control–Slew rate–Skew–Jitter•And try not to burn up the chip doing itHigh-Performance Microprocessor DesignVerification•Verification has become the largest component of design effort.•Static timing•Electrical checks•Logic
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