The Criticality of Performance per Watt Optimization for AI Chip Development

As the demand for compute processing capabilities surges due to AI workloads, chip developers face significant challenges in balancing performance and power consumption. This white paper highlights the urgent need for power optimization throughout the chip design process, advocating for a shift-left methodology that prioritizes power efficiency from the architectural stage. By treating power as a primary constraint, developers can achieve substantial power savings and enhance the performance per watt of AI chips. The paper outlines key challenges in AI chip efficiency, including power management and memory bandwidth, while showcasing Synopsys’ tools designed to facilitate early power analysis and optimization.

Key Takeaways:

• The importance of integrating power optimization early in the chip design cycle to achieve significant power savings.
• Key challenges faced by AI chip developers, including thermal management, memory bandwidth, and the need for workload-specific optimizations.
• How Synopsys’ tools can assist in modeling, simulating, and optimizing power efficiency throughout the design process.