Modeling and simulation for low power in mixed-signal integrated systems

This paper presents a number of recent research developments that allow one to model and optimize the power consumption in mixed-signal integrated systems for telecom and other applications. The optimizations are performed at all levels in the design hierarchy. The ORCA tool allows the architectural-level exploration and optimization of analog RF receiver front-ends. A methodology for determining the optimal analog-digital partitioning in mixed-signal systems is presented. Next, an approach towards the power modeling of analog blocks is described. Finally, a system to custom synthesize analog blocks with minimum power consumption is discussed.