Patent ID: 7904287

Claim:
A computer-performed method of predicting power usage of a processor or sub-system for a particular nominal performance state that differs from a present nominal performance state for the processor or sub-system, the method comprising: collecting samples of actual power usage over a plurality of measurement intervals for a plurality of controlled performance states of the processor or sub-system while executing a current workload; constructing a real-time model relating power usage of the processor or subsystem to the controlled performance states from the collected samples, according to a moving window that removes an effect of older samples from the model; computing, from the model, at least one power usage value representing the predicted power usage of the processor or subsystem if the processor or subsystem were set to operate at the particular nominal performance state while executing the current workload; and performing at least one of displaying results of the computing or controlling a power budget for the processor or subsystem in conformity with a result of the computing.