Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling as a Method for Reducing Energy Consumption in Ultra-Low-Power Embedded Systems

Abstract

Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) is a technique used to optimize energy consumption in ultra-low-power embedded systems. To ensure sufficient computational capacity, the system must scale up its performance settings. The objective is to conserve energy in times of reduced computational demand and/or when battery power is used. Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Cyclic Redundancy Check 32 (CRC32), Secure Hash Algorithm 256 (SHA256), and Message-Digest Algorithm 5 (MD5) are focused functions that demand computational power to achieve energy-efficient performance. Selected operations are analyzed from the energy consumption perspective. In this manner, the energy required to perform a specific function is observed, thereby mitigating the influence of the instruction set or system architecture. For stable operating voltage scaling, an exponential model for voltage calculation is presented. Statistical significance tests are conducted to validate and support the findings. Results show that the proposed optimization technique reduces energy consumption for ultra-low-power applications from 27.74% to up to 47.74%.