| CPC G06F 1/28 (2013.01) [G06F 1/266 (2013.01); G06F 1/3206 (2013.01); G06F 1/324 (2013.01); G06F 1/26 (2013.01); G06F 1/3296 (2013.01); G06F 12/0811 (2013.01); G06F 12/0815 (2013.01); G06F 12/0897 (2013.01); Y02D 10/00 (2018.01)] | 13 Claims |

|
1. A multicore processor comprising:
a plurality of cores, wherein each core comprises a processor configured to operate at an independent voltage and frequency level and at least one core of the plurality of cores is coupled to a plurality of levels of cache memory; and
a power control unit coupled to each of the plurality of cores and, responsive to receiving a first request to alter an operating state of a first core of the plurality of cores from a current operating state to a modified operating state, configured to cause an operating frequency and voltage to be updated for the first core by, prior to modifying a frequency level of the first core from a first frequency level associated with the current operating state to a second frequency level associated with the modified operating state, modifying a voltage for the multicore processor from a current voltage to an intermediate voltage that is a voltage sufficient to power up a second core of the plurality of cores from a low power state to an active state, and, after modification of the voltage for the multicore processor to the intermediate voltage has been achieved, modifying the voltage for the multicore processor from the intermediate voltage to a voltage appropriate for operating the first core at the second frequency level associated with the modified operating state and thereafter changing the operating frequency of the first core from the first frequency level to the second frequency level.
|