C h a p t e r 1 | W h a t I s P o w e r M a n a g e m e n t ?
such as solar, into electrical energy for
low-power applications using IoT devices
at the edge, must also be managed.
Thermal management also falls under
the umbrella of power management—
heat must be dissipated effectively and
efficiently to ensure the device can be
operated reliably and safely.
Power management varies
widely across devices
Within the three broad categories of
microcontrollers, processors, and FPGAs,
a wide range of power management
requirements exists. Microcontrollers
fall at the lower end in terms of power—
the loads are smaller, and their role is
to control another device—and they
are typically looking at different values
and sensing different signals so they
can send data over different interfaces.
Microcontrollers have not only specific
core voltages but also specific input/
output (I/O) voltage requirements.
Processors also have stringent core
voltage and I/O voltage requirements,
especially higher-performance processors,
which makes reliable power management
more challenging. High-performance
processors—both central processing
units (CPUs) and graphics processing
units (GPUs)—are found in data centers
to support high-performance computing
(HPC) and AI workloads, which consume
significant power. GPUs, which are often
used for deep learning, are especially
power-intensive.
FPGAs run the gamut in terms of
power management. High-end FPGAs
require many different voltage rails and
significant power to support ultrafast
computing of digital signals. Low-power
FPGAs require only one or two voltages
rather than the eight or more different
voltages of higher-end FPGAs.
A device at the far edge, whether a
microcontroller, processor, or FPGA, may
When choosing power or
battery options, consider energy
availability, peak and standby
power consumption, and longevity
requirements. Cost, form factor,
and environmental conditions are
also critical, especially in sensor
nodes, where solar cells are often a
primary choice."
Luigi Fassio
Senior Analog Design Engineer, Qualcomm
7
Power Management: Efficiently Powering Processors, FPGAs, and Microcontrollers
