IA-32 Processor with a Wide-Voltage-Operating Range in 32-nm CMOS

Abstract

Designing a microprocessor that's efficient across a wide-voltage-operating range requires overcoming a variety of microarchitecture and circuit design challenges. In this article, the authors demonstrate their IA-32 processor, which is built in 32-nm CMOS technology, which can operate efficiently between 280 mV and 1.2 V. They also discuss some of the circuit and methodology challenges that they overcame.