Patent ID: 7606151

Claim:
A method comprising: receiving, by an integrated circuit of a switch, a plurality of packets; monitoring a rate of said plurality of packets received at said integrated circuit; and adjusting a power consumption of at least a part of said integrated circuit in response to said rate of said plurality of packets received at said integrated circuit; wherein said part of said integrated circuit comprises control pipeline circuitry, wherein said adjusting said power consumption comprises adjusting an operating frequency and a supply voltage of said control pipeline circuitry of said integrated circuit, wherein said rate of said plurality of packets received at said integrated circuit is determined by a level of data in a buffer, said buffer storing at least a portion of each of said plurality of packets, and said method further comprises: setting a first operating frequency of said control pipeline circuitry; setting a first voltage level of said control pipeline circuitry; adjusting said first operating frequency to a second operating frequency if said level of said data in said buffer is greater than or equal to a high threshold level, said second operating frequency greater than said first operating frequency; and adjusting said first voltage level to a second voltage level if said level of said data in said buffer is greater than or equal to said high threshold level, said second voltage level greater than said first voltage level.