Patent ID: 8127160

Claim:
A method of dynamic frequency and voltage scaling for a computer processor, the computer processor operatively coupled to a power supply and to a system clock, the method comprising: retrieving, by a power management module at run time from non-volatile storage on the computer processor, information specifying a nominal operating point of frequency and voltage and an operating range of frequency and voltage for the processor, the operating range characterized by a minimum operating point, a maximum operating point, and the nominal operating point; creating, by the power management module dynamically at run time in dependence upon the retrieved information, a table of frequency, voltage pairs, each pair specifying an operating point of frequency and voltage for the processor, wherein said creating the table of frequency, voltage pairs comprises creating the table in accordance with one of, V n = ( 1 - α ) * V min + α * V nom , where ⁢ ⁢ α = f n - f min f nom - f min , and f n = ( 1 - α ) * f min + α * f nom , where ⁢ ⁢ α = V n - V min V nom - V min , f n represents an operating frequency of the computer processor, f min represents a minimum operating frequency of the computer processor that is within the operating range, f nom represents the nominal operating frequency of the computer processor, V n , represents the voltage necessary to support the computer processor operating frequency f n , V min represents the voltage necessary to support the computer processor operating at a frequency f min , and V nom represents the voltage necessary to support the computer processor operating at a frequency f nom ; and selecting and applying, by the power management module from the table, an operating voltage and frequency for the processor in dependence upon current operating conditions of the processor.