Ultralow Power and the New Era of Not-So-VLSI

A confluence of application requirements and physics leads us to types of chips to design. A new generation of ultralow-power (ULP) chips will build upon research over the past several decades but these techniques, once considered niche, will rise to the top of the agenda for many organizations. Microprocessors pay attention to power consumption for two reasons: thermal design power (TDP) and overall current drain. The microprocessor market is driven by high levels of functionality and integration; power and thermal are nuisances. In contrast, the motivation for ULP as a key operational characteristic comes from IoT and related applications. These types of systems are severely limited by the amount of power available. They must also meet very low cost points. IoT is driven by very low costs to create a trillion-sensor market. Since the market is very sensitive to total installed cost, not just the cost of silicon, the cost of the power supply and the cost of wiring become important factors in the design. Explores the special features of ultra-low power VLSI systems, discusses applications for their use, and examines new areas of design that will improve on these technologies.