CAD for low power: status and promising directions

Low power design is gaining increasing attention as the market for battery powered portable products expands and as power consumption becomes the stumbling block for further system integration. This paper examines strategies to minimize power consumption of digital circuits by reducing the supply voltage, by using power-conscious design methodologies and tools at the behavioral, logic and circuit levels, and by dynamic power management. The paper highlights some of the more effective and promising approaches for achieving ultra low power VLSI circuits and systems.