Patent ID: 7363176

Claim:
A computer program product bearing a computer program embodied in a computer-readable medium for controlling a data processing apparatus executing the computer program to determine an operating voltage for an individual integrated circuit, said computer program comprising: frequency setting code configured to run said integrated circuit at a required operating frequency; execution code configured to execute a test sequence of data processing operations on said integrated circuit to exercise critical paths of said integrated circuit at each of at least a subset of a set of test voltages, wherein successful execution of said test sequence at a given test voltage indicates that said integrated circuit can reliably sustain said required operating frequency at said given test voltage; voltage identifying code configured to identify a lowest test voltage from said subset of test voltages for which said test sequence was successfully executed; operating voltage determining code configured to determine said operating voltage for said individual integrated circuit at said required operating frequency in dependence upon said lowest test voltage; and operating voltage storing code configured to store data representing said determined operating voltage for said individual integrated circuit for subsequent use with said individual integrated circuit.