An intra-task dvfs technique based on statistical analysis of hardware events

The importance and demand for various types of optimization techniques for program execution is growing rapidly. In particular, dynamic optimization techniques are regarded as important. Although conventional techniques usually generated an execution model for dynamic optimization by qualitatively analyzing the behaviors of computer systems in a knowledge-based manner, the proposed technique generates models by statistically analyzing the behaviors from quantitative data of hardware events. In the present paper, a novel dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) method based on statistical analysis is proposed. The proposed technique is a hybrid technique in which static information, such as the breakpoint of program phases and, dynamic information, such as the number of cache misses given by the performance counter, are used together. Relationships between the performance and values of performance counters are learned statistically in advance. The compiler then inserts a run-time code for predicting the performance and setting the appropriate frequency/voltage depending on the predicted performance. The proposed technique can greatly reduce the energy consumption while satisfying soft timing constraints.