Design and implementation of a low-power workstation

A workstation requires a low-power design similar to a typical PC. In this paper we propose several strategies to reduce the power consumption of a workstation. First, we must comprehend the needed dynamic power management for the CPU by using a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) chip to detect the workload or the current consumption of the CPU. The design then automatically adjusts the CPU voltage and the operating frequency to save power. Second, we design the chipset and memory and include a power saving control. Third, we provide the design with phase switching of the power switch to save power. The number of phases of a power switch can be controlled and is based on the loading of the CPU. The different loading of the CPU presents different power efficiencies of the VRM (Voltage Regulator Module), hence we design a power switch which can automatically change phases in order to obtain greater efficiency in power saving. Fourth, as we have examined the PC power states like the S3/S5, we have found that, in addition to saving power through the S0 state, many peripheral devices don´t need electricity to maintain operation in these states. We therefore redesign the circuit to cut off the current and thus save more power. For example, we can disable the PCIE add-on card function in certain machine states to save power.