Extreme energy efficiency by near threshold voltage operation

Abstract

Technology scaling will continue providing abundance of transistors for integration, only to be limited by the energy consumption. Near threshold voltage (NTV) operation has potential to improve energy effi ciency by an order of magnitude. We discuss benefi ts, challenges, and circuit and system design considerations for reliable operation over a wide range of supply voltage—from nominal down to subthreshold region. The system designed for NTV can thus dynamically select modes of operation, from high performance, to high energy effi ciency, to the lowest power