An integrated CAD environment for low-power design

Abstract

This CAD environment supports a high-level approach to power reduction, emphasizing optimizations at the algorithm and architecture levels of abstraction. An integrated set of analysis and optimization tools spans the design hierarchy, allowing the designer to make a systematic, top-down exploration and refinement of solutions in the area-time-power design space. In a case study-a low-power implementation of a digital bandpass filter-the CAD environment and tools yield more than an order of magnitude savings in power.