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

2.3.2.1.2. Generating Standard Delay Output for Power Analysis

To improve accuracy of power analysis, you can generate a Standard Delay Output (.sdo) file that includes back-annotated delay estimates for QuestaSim* simulation. QuestaSim* simulation can then output a more accurate .vcd for use as power analysis input. You must run Fitter (Finalize) before generating the .sdo.
Using an SDO in Power Analysis
  1. Click Assignments > Settings > EDA Tool Settings > Simulation. In Tool name select QuestaSim* and Verilog for Format for output netlist.
    Figure 10. More EDA Netlist Writer Settings
  2. Click More EDA Netlist Writer Settings. Set Enable SDO Generation for Power Estimation to On. Set Generate Power Estimate Scripts to ALL_NODES.
  3. To run the Fitter, click Processing > Start > Start Fitter (Finalize).
  4. Create a representative testbench (.vt) that exercises the design functions appropriately.
  5. To specify the appropriate hierarchy level for signals in the output .vcd, add the following line to the project .qsf file: 1 
    set_global_assignment -name EDA_TEST_BENCH_DESIGN_INSTANCE_NAME 
     <DUT instance path> -section_id eda_simulation
  6. After Fitter processing is complete, click Processing > Start > Start EDA Netlist Writer. EDA Netlist Writer generates the following files in /<project>/simulation/modelsim/power/:
    • <project>.vo (contains a reference to the .sdo file by default)
    • <project>_dump_all_vcd_nodes.tcl—specifies nodes to save in .vcd
    • <project>_v.sdo—back-annotated delay estimates
  7. Create a ModelSim* script (.do) to load the design and testbench, start ModelSim* , and then source the .do script.
  8. To specify the signals ModelSim* includes in the .vcd file, source *_dump_all_vcd_nodes.tcl in ModelSim* .
  9. To generate the .vcd file, simulate the test bench and netlist in ModelSim* . The .vcd file generates according to your specifications.
  10. Specify the .vcd as an input to power analysis, as Generating Signal Activity Data for Power Analysis describes.
    Note: The EDA Netlist Writer currently supports .sdo file generation only for Verilog .vo simulation in the ModelSim* 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.
1 Specify the full hierarchical path in the testbench, not just the instance name. For example, specify a|b|c, not just c.
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