At 10xEngineers, our primary objective has always been to foster continuous learning and knowledge sharing within our organization. To that end, our 10xE Talks serve as a platform for professionals in the design and verification industry to share their expertise and offer guidance on a diverse range of topics. In keeping with this proud tradition, our most recent talk centered on ‘Low Power Design,’ presented by Awais Karim, an esteemed member of the DreamBig Semiconductor Inc. team.

Low power design involves a set of techniques and methodologies aimed at reducing the dynamic and static power consumption of integrated circuits (ICs). The objective of low-power design is to conserve power from unused parts of the circuit at any given moment. Such designs are crucial in prolonging the battery life of devices, enhancing the transition time of circuits from inactive to active states, and reducing overall system costs.

During his talk, Awais provided valuable insights into the types of power consumption in circuits and the various optimization and power management techniques used today to minimize power usage. These techniques included clock gating, multi-voltage designs, and power gating, with a focus on the constraints and granularity involved in clock and power gating. From a verification standpoint, DV engineers must ensure that clock-gated designs are glitch-free and that the clocks are gated after the specified number of cycles to ensure an empty pipeline. Voltage scaling and isolation were also briefly discussed as additional power management techniques.

The talk concluded with a comprehensive overview of the different optimization techniques utilized throughout the design lifecycle and their impact on power management. At 10xEngineers, we remain committed to promoting knowledge sharing and continuous learning within our organization and beyond, and we look forward to future talks on diverse topics presented by experts in the field.

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