The integration of a rapidly increasing number of highly complex tasks occupying minimum chip area is made possible by minimising the structural size of integrated circuits.

The enormous amount of demanded computing power is provided mostly by operations switching at ever higher frequency. Today, the physically induced power dissipation represents the limiting factor to a further increase of the capability of integrated circuits. Already, the power density of integrated circuits exceeds that of glowing hot plates. Without significant improvements in design methods, power density would very soon reach the level of a nuclear reactor or even of a rocket nozzle. Hence, high power consumption is problematic in regard of heat dissipation as well as of energy supply. So, apart from economic aspects or reliability needs, the reduction of the power dissipation of integrated circuits additionally is of global ecological significance and therefor has to be taken into account early in the design process.

One inevitable means for handling the exponentially increasing design complexity is the Electronic Design Automation (EDA). EDA techniques and methods are essential especially for solving the problem of power dissipation.

Objectives of LEMOS:

a significant increase in design efficiency and productivitymoving the limit to what has technically not been possible so far due to the problem of power dissipationdecreasing the number of power consumption-dependent re-designsthus reducing development time by more than a thirda drastic reduction of power consumption

The product differentiation provided this way will be a substantial contribution to strengthen the competitive position of the German industry. In close co-operation with the partners Infineon Technologies AG and ChipVision Design Systems AG, further Nokia Research Center, Robert Bosch GmbH and Catena Software GmbH, OFFIS is developing methods for early estimation and especially optimisation of the power consumption of embedded systems. This is made possible thanks to the power dissipation analysis and optimisation tool ORINOCO®, first invented at the OFFIS institute and developed in co-operation with ChipVision.