Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guide: Power Analysis and Optimization

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ID 683174
Date 10/02/2023
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Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
1. Answers to Top FAQs 2. Power Analysis 3. Power Optimization 4. Power Analysis and Optimization Document Archive A. Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guides
2. Power Analysis x
2.1. Power Analysis Tools 2.2. Running the Power Analyzer 2.3. Specifying Power Analyzer Input 2.4. Viewing Power Analysis Reports 2.5. Power Analysis in Modular Design Flows 2.6. Scripting Support 2.7. Power Analysis Revision History
2.3. Specifying Power Analyzer Input x
2.3.1. Settings for Power Analysis 2.3.2. Specifying Signal Activity Data 2.3.3. Specifying the Default Toggle Rate 2.3.4. Specifying Toggle Rates for Specific Nodes 2.3.5. Avoiding Simulation Node Name Match
2.3.2. Specifying Signal Activity Data x
2.3.2.1. Using Simulation Signal Activity Data in Power Analysis 2.3.2.2. Signal Activities from RTL (Functional) Simulation, Supplemented by Vectorless Estimation 2.3.2.3. Signal Activities from Vectorless Estimation and User-Supplied Input Pin Activities 2.3.2.4. Signal Activities from User Defaults Only
2.3.2.1. Using Simulation Signal Activity Data in Power Analysis x
2.3.2.1.1. Generating Signal Activity Data for Power Analysis 2.3.2.1.2. Generating Standard Delay Output for Power Analysis 2.3.2.1.3. Simulation Glitch Filtering
2.3.2.2. Signal Activities from RTL (Functional) Simulation, Supplemented by Vectorless Estimation x
2.3.2.2.1. RTL Simulation Limitation
2.3.4. Specifying Toggle Rates for Specific Nodes x
2.3.4.1. Clock Node Toggle Rates
2.5. Power Analysis in Modular Design Flows x
2.5.1. Complete Design Simulation Power Analysis Flow 2.5.2. Modular Design Simulation Power Analysis Flow 2.5.3. Multiple Simulation Power Analysis Flow 2.5.4. Overlapping Simulation Power Analysis Flow 2.5.5. Partial Design Simulation Power Analysis Flow 2.5.6. Vectorless Estimation Power Analysis Flow
2.5.5. Partial Design Simulation Power Analysis Flow x
2.5.5.1. Specifying Start and End Time for Signal Activity Calculations
2.6. Scripting Support x
2.6.1. Running the Power Analyzer from the Command–Line
3. Power Optimization x
3.1. Factors Affecting Power Consumption 3.2. Design Space Explorer II for Power-Driven Optimization 3.3. Power-Driven Compilation 3.4. Design Guidelines 3.5. Power Optimization Advisor 3.6. Power Optimization Revision History
3.1. Factors Affecting Power Consumption x
3.1.1. Design Activity and Power Analysis 3.1.2. Device Selection 3.1.3. Environmental Conditions 3.1.4. Device Resource Usage 3.1.5. Signal Activity
3.1.4. Device Resource Usage x
3.1.4.1. Number, Type, and Loading of I/O Pins 3.1.4.2. Number and Type of Hard Logic Blocks 3.1.4.3. Number and Type of Global Signals
3.1.5. Signal Activity x
3.1.5.1. Toggle Rate 3.1.5.2. Static Probability
3.3. Power-Driven Compilation x
3.3.1. Power-Driven Synthesis 3.3.2. Power-Driven Fitter 3.3.3. Area-Driven Synthesis 3.3.4. Gate-Level Register Retiming 3.3.5. Intel® Quartus® Prime Compiler Settings 3.3.6. Assignment Editor Options
3.3.1. Power-Driven Synthesis x
3.3.1.1. Memory Block Optimization 3.3.1.2. Power-Aware Logic Mapping 3.3.1.3. Power-Aware Memory Balancing
3.4. Design Guidelines x
3.4.1. Clock Power Management 3.4.2. Pipelining and Retiming 3.4.3. Architectural Optimization 3.4.4. I/O Power Guidelines 3.4.5. Dynamically Controlled On-Chip Terminations (OCT) 3.4.6. Memory Optimization (M20K/MLAB) 3.4.7. DDR Memory Controller Settings 3.4.8. DSP Implementation 3.4.9. Reducing High-Speed Tile (HST) Usage 3.4.10. Unused Transceiver Channels 3.4.11. Periphery Power reduction XCVR Settings
3.4.1. Clock Power Management x
3.4.1.1. Clock Gating 3.4.1.2. Clock Enable in Memory Blocks 3.4.1.3. LAB Clock Power 3.4.1.4. Clock Enables 3.4.1.5. Global Signals 3.4.1.6. Merge Clocks
3.4.1.1. Clock Gating x
3.4.1.1.1. Root Clock Gate 3.4.1.1.2. Sector Clock Gate 3.4.1.1.3. I/O PLL Clock Gate
3.4.1.3. LAB Clock Power x
3.4.1.3.1. LAB-Wide Clock Enable Example
3.4.1.5. Global Signals x
3.4.1.5.1. Viewing Clock Details in the Chip Planner
3.4.6. Memory Optimization (M20K/MLAB) x
3.4.6.1. Implementation 3.4.6.2. Rd/Wr Enables
3.4.11. Periphery Power reduction XCVR Settings x
3.4.11.1. Transceiver Settings 3.4.11.2. I/O Current Strength
3.5. Power Optimization Advisor x
3.5.1. Set Realistic Timing Constraints 3.5.2. Appropriate Device Family 3.5.3. Dynamic Power 3.5.4. Static Power 3.5.5. Appropriate I/O Standards 3.5.6. Use RAM Blocks 3.5.7. Shut Down RAM Blocks 3.5.8. Clock Enables on Logic 3.5.9. Pipeline Logic to Reduce Glitching
3.5.1. Set Realistic Timing Constraints x
3.5.1.1. Find Timing Information
1. Answers to Top FAQs
2. Power Analysis
3. Power Optimization
4. Power Analysis and Optimization Document Archive
A. Intel® Quartus® Prime Pro Edition User Guides

2.3.2.1.1. Generating Signal Activity Data for Power Analysis

To generate and use simulation signal activity data for power analysis:

  1. To run full compilation on your design, click Processing > Start Compilation.
  2. To specify settings for simulation output, click Assignments > Settings > EDA Tool Settings > Simulation. Select your simulator in Tool name and the Format for output netlist and Output directory.
    Figure 8. EDA Tool Settings for Simulation


  3. Turn on Map illegal HDL characters. This setting directs the EDA Netlist Writer to map illegal characters for VHDL or Verilog HDL, and results in more accurate data for power analysis.
  4. Click the Power Analyzer Settings page.
  5. For Intel® Stratix® 10 designs, to generate a Standard Delay Output (.sdo) file that includes back-annotation of delays for power analysis, refer to Generating Standard Delay Output for Power Analysis.
  6. Under Input file, turn on Use input files to initialize toggle rates and static probabilities during power analysis.
    Figure 9. Specifying Power Analysis Input Files
  7. To specify a .vcd for power analysis, click Add and specify the File name, Entity, and Simulation period for the .vcd, and click OK.
  8. To enable glitch filtering during power analysis with the .vcd you generate, turn on Perform glitch filtering on VCD files.
  9. To run the power analysis, click Start on the Power Analysis step in the Compilation Dashboard. View the toggle rates in the power analysis results.
Note: To improve accuracy of power analysis, the Intel® Quartus® Prime EDA Netlist writer can generate a Standard Delay Output (.sdo) file that includes back-annotation of delays for a design's netlist for use during simulation in QuestaSim*. Although the .sdo only contains delay estimates and imprecise timing information, including the .sdo in simulation results in a more accurate output .vcd for power analysis. The EDA Netlist Writer currently supports .sdo file generation only for Verilog .vo simulation in the QuestaSim* simulator (not ModelSim* - Intel® FPGA Edition) for Intel® Stratix® 10 designs. The EDA Netlist Writer does not currently support .sdo file generation for any other simulator or device family.
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