Power Forward Initiative (PFI) Community

Power Forward Initiative Publishes On-Line Guide to Low-Power Design with the Common Power Format

Power Forward — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 16:36:26 GMT

Published in Chip Design April 30, 2008

As the electronics industry moves toward advanced CMOS process geometries at 65nm and below, considerable power management challenges have emerged that cannot be met by a design infrastructure optimized for 90nm and above. Throughout the design and manufacturing chain, there is a clear need for a holistic power-aware infrastructure that will enable design teams; ASIC, library, IP, and tool vendors; equipment providers; and silicon foundries alike to efficiently produce lower power electronics. The existing design infrastructure has had shortcomings in holistically communicating power-related design intent across the design flow. These limitations have prevented companies from initiating complex low-power projects due to high levels of risk and unpredictable design costs. The Power Forward Initiative was formed to address these obstacles to lower power IC design facing the electronics industry.

By Susan Runowicz-Smith, Group Director, Cadence Design Systems, Power Forward Initiative

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It's time to shift the low power debate

Power Forward — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:14:50 GMT

Article published in SCD Source 4/15/2008

In the low power debate over the last 18 months, much has been written about the EDA vendor battles between the two file formats used to capture low-power design intent – Common Power Format (CPF) and Unified Power Format (UPF). The inability of these two standards efforts to converge has frustrated a wide array of stakeholders up, down, and across the supply chain.

By Steven E. Schulz, Si2

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A Practical Case Study In Low-Power Design Methodology

Power Forward — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 23:25:43 GMT

Article published in Electronic Product News.

There can be little doubt that a majority of designers and managers attending DATE this year will be searching for improved solutions to low-power design requirements. While some may be neophytes, looking to to better understand low-power concepts, terminology, and basic techniques, many experts will be seeking proven capability and interoperability supporting advanced techniques they understand but cannot properly implement with traditional flows.

By Steven E. Schulz, Silicon Integration Initiative

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It’s a Mixed-Signal World

Power Forward — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:56:39 GMT

Article published in Low-power Design

Today it’s impossible to separate the analog and digital domains without compromising essential system behaviour. Designers need to adapt their modeling style for mixed-signal verification.

Kishore Karnane, Product Marketing Director, Cadence