Patent ID: 8159241

Claim:
An apparatus comprising: an integrated circuit, having fabricated thereon: an oscillator configured to oscillate at an oscillation frequency that is based on a temperature of the oscillator; a counter configured to count oscillations of the oscillator and to provide a counter output indicative of a number of oscillations of the oscillator during a count period; a comparator configured to compare the counter output with a stored reference count; and a control circuit configured to adjust an operational parameter of the integrated circuit based on a result received from the comparator, wherein the operational parameter includes at least one of a supply of power to the integrated circuit, an airflow to the integrated circuit, and a frequency of a clock signal provided to the integrated circuit; a voltage regulator configured to adjust the supply of power to the integrated circuit based on the result; a fan configured to adjust the airflow to the integrated circuit based on the result; and a clock circuit configured to provide the clock signal to the integrated circuit and to adjust the frequency of the clock signal based on the result.