Honored ContributorHello,
I had been under the assumption that a 40nm device will consume less power than a 60nm device given the same code. I tried that with an Arria II GX (40nm) and a Cyclone IV GX (60nm) and I found that give the same design and test parameters, the Arria II GX will consume more power than the Cyclone IV GX. I got this using the PowerPlay power analyzer. Can anyone shed a little light on this? Thanks!
Honored ContributorReduction of power with process shrinkage is a general trend, but it's neither automatic or guaranteed.
Leakage (static power) can sometimes increase. Dynamic power reduction usually comes via voltage reduction, with is not the case: both Cyclone IV and Arria II are 1.2V VCCINT. Additionally, the Cyclone family design puts a greater emphasis on power than Arria.Honored ContributorThanks for the answer rbugalho!
Arria II is actually 0.9V. I expected that to help the power consumption. Below is the summary for both. As expected, the dynamic power is greater on the Cy IV. I was surprised though that Arria II uses a lot more power for I/O. Arria II: Total Thermal Power Dissipation: 2346 Core Dynamic Thermal Power Dissipation: 770 Core Static Thermal Power Dissipation: 887 I/O Thermal Power Dissipation: 688 Cy IV: Total Thermal Power Dissipation: 1894 Core Dynamic Thermal Power Dissipation: 1263 Core Static Thermal Power Dissipation: 448 I/O Thermal Power Dissipation: 183
