Method, system, and apparatus for dynamic thermal management

Abstract

A method, apparatus, article of manufacture, and system, the method including, in some embodiments, processing a computational load by a first core of a multi-core processor, and dynamically distributing at least a portion of the computational load to a second core of the multi-core processor to reduce a power density of the multi-core processor for the processing of the computational load.

1 . A method comprising:
 processing a computational load by a first core of a multi-core processor; and   dynamically distributing at least a portion of the computational load to a second core of the multi-core processor to reduce a power density of the multi-core processor for the processing of the computational load.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic distributing occurs at a predetermined frequency. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic distributing occurs at an adaptive frequency. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic distributing is based on a temperature response of the multi-core processor. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein the temperature response includes at least one of a predetermined operating temperature of the multi-core processor, an adaptive operating temperature of the multi-core processor, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic distributing occurs at a frequency greater than a thermal time constant associated with a temperature response of the multi-core processor. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein a temperature of the second processor core is lower than a temperature of the first processor core. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising dynamically distributing at least a portion of the computational load from the second core back to the first core. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the dynamic distributing is based on relationship between a migration frequency and a temperature response of the multi-core processor. 
     
     
         10 . An apparatus comprising:
 a multi-core processor including a plurality of cores; and   a controller to dynamically distribute at least a portion of a computational load to at least one core of the plurality of cores having a lower temperature than at least one of the other plurality of cores to reduce a power density of the multi-core processor for the processing of the computational load.   
     
     
         11 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the dynamic distributing occurs at a predetermined frequency, an adaptive frequency, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the dynamic distributing is based on a temperature response of the multi-core processor. 
     
     
         13 . The apparatus of  claim 12 , wherein the temperature response includes at least one of a predetermined operating temperature of the multi-core processor, an adaptive operating temperature of the multi-core processor, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the dynamic distributing occurs at a frequency greater than a thermal time constant associated with a temperature response of the multi-core processor. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the controller recursively dynamically distributes at least a portion of the computational load based on a power density response of the multi-core processor. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 10 , wherein the controller dynamically distributes at least a portion of the computational load to more than one of the plurality of the cores. 
     
     
         17 . An article of manufacture having program instructions embodied thereon, the article of manufacture comprising:
 program instructions for processing a computational load by at least a first core of a multi-core processor having a plurality of cores; and   program instructions for dynamically distributing at least a portion of the computational load to at least one core of the plurality of cores having a lower temperature than at least one of the other plurality of cores to reduce a power density of the multi-core processor for the processing of the computational load.   
     
     
         18 . The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the dynamic distributing occurs at a predetermined frequency, an adaptive frequency, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the dynamic distributing is based on at least one of a predetermined operating temperature of the multi-core processor, an adaptive operating temperature of the multi-core processor, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The article of manufacture of  claim 17 , wherein the dynamic distributing occurs at a frequency greater than a thermal time constant associated with a temperature response of the multi-core processor. 
     
     
         21 . A system comprising:
 a multi-core processor including a plurality of cores;   a controller to dynamically distribute at least a portion of a computational load to at least one core of the plurality of cores having a lower temperature than at least one of the other plurality of cores to reduce a power density of the multi-core processor for the processing of the computational load; and   a double data rate memory.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the dynamic distributing occurs at a frequency greater than a thermal time constant associated with a temperature response of the multi-core processor. 
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the dynamic distributing occurs at a predetermined frequency, an adaptive frequency, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         24 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the dynamic distributing is based on a temperature response of the multi-core processor.