CACTI-P: Architecture-level modeling for SRAM-based structures with advanced leakage reduction techniques

Sheng Li, Ke Chen, Jung Ho Ahn, Jay B. Brockman, Norman P. Jouppi

Abstract: This paper introduces CACTI-P, the first architecture-level integrated power, area, and timing modeling framework for SRAM-based structures with advanced leakage power reduction techniques. CACTI-P supports modeling of major leakage power reduction approaches including power-gating, long channel devices, and Hi-k metal gate devices. Because it accounts for implementation overheads, CACTI-P enables in-depth study of architecture-level tradeoffs for advanced leakage power management schemes. We illustrate the potential applicability of CACTI-P in the design and analysis of leakage power reduction techniques of future manycore processors by applying nanosecond scale power-gating to different levels of cache for a 64 core multithreaded architecture at the 22nm technology. Combining results from CACTI-P and a performance simulator, we find that although nanosecond scale power-gating is a powerful way to minimize leakage power for all levels of caches, its severe impacts on processor performance and energy when being used for L1 data caches make nanosecond scale power-gating a better fit for caches closer to main memory.