ABSTRACT
This chapter covers the area of early system–level power analysis and algorithmic–level power estimation. The terms estimation and analysis are frequently used in the low–power community without careful distinction. The analysis is based on an existing design at any level. The power analysis is the task of evaluating the power consumption of an existing design at any level. Estimation builds on incomplete information about the structure of the design or part of the design under consideration. The power estimation is applied to assess the impact of design decisions and compare different design alternatives on incomplete design data. The chapter introduces the common principles of power analysis at any level before present the details of system–level power analysis and algorithmic–level power estimation. A complete high–level, low–power design flow has been explained with the necessary tools and data to perform power analysis and estimation at the system–level and at the algorithmic–level.
