From ASICs to SOCs: A Practical Approach

5.1. Introduction

The current trend toward portable electronic devices, such as wireless multimedia systems that demand high speed for computations and complex functionality, has made the design of low-power integrated circuits more and more imperative. Since these devices run on small batteries, minimum power consumption and, therefore, increased battery life are very important for the consumers of such products. Reducing the power consumption in portable devices increases reliability as well as portability while lowering the cost of production. Therefore, the continuous need for effective methods of implementing successful low-power design techniques is a major challenge faced by ASIC/SOC designers. Traditionally, the major factors determining ...