Apparatus and method for reducing power consumption in a graphics processing device

1. An apparatus for reducing power consumption in a graphics processing device, the apparatus comprising:

a memory module monitoring device operative to receive a memory module status signal from at least one of a plurality of memory modules, wherein the memory module monitoring device generates a clock control signal in response to the memory module status signal;

a clock cycle reduction circuit operatively coupled to the memory module monitoring device and operative to receive the clock control signal such that the clock cycle reduction circuit generates a reduced clock cycle signal in response to the clock control signal such that the reduced clock cycle signal reduces power consumption in the graphics processing device;

a phase locked loop operatively coupled to the clock cycle reduction circuit such that the phase locked loop generates an original clock signal and the clock cycle reduction circuit reduces clock cycles of the original clock signal to generate the reduced clock cycle signal;

wherein the memory module monitoring device reads the memory module status signal for a first predetermined number of intervals prior to generating a clock control signal; and

wherein the clock cycle reduction circuit generates the reduced clock cycle signal for a second predetermined number of clock cycles prior to reading a second clock control signal from the memory module monitoring device.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the reduced clock cycle signal has a cycle reduced by at least one of the following: one half, one third, one fourth, two thirds and three fourths.

3. A method for reducing power consumption in a graphics processing device, the method comprising:

receiving a memory module status signal;

based on the memory module status signal, generating a clock control signal;

in response to the clock control signal, generating a reduced clock cycle signal;

providing an output clock cycle signal based on the reduced clock cycle signal to at least one of a plurality of graphics processing engines in a graphics processing device to reduce power consumption of the graphics processing device; and

wherein generating the clock control signal further comprises:

determining if the memory module status signal indicates a stall condition in the graphics processing device;

if the stall condition is determined, waiting a predetermined time interval;

after the time interval, determining if the memory module status signal still indicates a stall condition in the graphics processing device; and

if the stall condition is indicated for the predetermined time interval, generate the clock control signal.

4. An apparatus for reducing power consumption in a graphics processing device, the apparatus comprising:

a memory module monitoring device operative to receive a memory module status signal from at least one of a plurality of memory modules, wherein the memory module monitoring device generates a clock control signal in response to the memory module status signal;

a phase locked loop operatively coupled to a clock cycle reduction circuit such that the phase locked loop generates an original clock signal and the clock cycle reduction circuit reduces clock cycles of the original clock signal to generate a reduced clock cycle signal;

a clock cycle reduction circuit operatively coupled to the memory module monitoring device and operative to receive the clock control signal such that the clock cycle reduction circuit generates a reduced clock cycle signal in response to the clock control signal such that the reduced clock cycle signal reduces power consumption in the graphics processing device;

a plurality of graphics processing engines operatively coupled to the clock cycle reduction circuit such that the graphics processing engines are operative to receive the reduced clock cycle signal;

the plurality of memory modules disposed within a memory controller, wherein at least one of the plurality of memory modules is operatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of graphics processing engines, such that each of the graphics processing engines writes request data to corresponding memory modules within the memory controller.

5. An apparatus for reducing power consumption in a graphics processing device, the apparatus comprising:

a memory module monitoring device operative to receive a memory module status signal from at least one of a plurality of memory modules, wherein the memory module monitoring device generates a clock control signal in response to the memory module status signal; and

a clock cycle reduction circuit operably coupled to the memory module monitoring device and operative to receive to the clock control signal such that the clock signal reduction circuit generates a reduced clock cycle signal in response to the clock control signal and provides an output clock signal based on the reduced clock signal to at least one of a plurality of graphics processing engines in a graphics processing device to reduce power consumption of the graphics processing device and wherein the clock cycle reduction circuit:

determines if the memory module status signal indicates a stall condition in the graphics processing device;

if a stall condition is determined, waits a predetermined time interval;

after the time interval, determines if the memory module status signal still indicates a stall condition in the graphics processing device; and

if the stall condition is indicated for the predetermined time interval, generates the clock control signal.

6. An apparatus for reducing power consumption in a graphics processing device, the apparatus comprising:

a memory module monitoring device operative to receive a memory module status signal from at least one of a plurality of memory modules, wherein the memory module monitoring device generates a clock control signal in response to the memory module status signal; and

a clock cycle reduction circuit operably coupled to the memory module monitoring device and operative to receive to the clock control signal such that the clock signal reduction circuit generates a reduced clock cycle signal in response to the clock control signal and provides an output clock signal based on the reduced clock signal to at least one of a plurality of graphics processing engines in a graphics processing device to reduce power consumption of the graphics processing device and wherein the clock cycle reduction circuit, when a stall condition exists, waits a time interval and, after the time interval has elapsed and a stall condition still exists, generates the clock control signal.