Processor Simulation
RISC-V / gem5
A gem5 architectural study measuring performance and estimated energy trade-offs across three voltage-frequency configurations for a real-time PID control workload.
01 · Problem
What the system solves
Embedded control processors must balance deterministic execution against strict power budgets. Simulation quantifies whether lower voltage-frequency points preserve timing while reducing estimated energy.
02 · Architecture
How the pieces connect
03 · Technical highlights
Implementation details
Three equivalent gem5 configurations model 200, 100, and 50 MHz operating points.
Every simulation executes an identical 141,594-instruction, 1,000-iteration PID benchmark.
The cache hierarchy includes 8 KiB instruction and data caches plus a 128 KiB unified L2.
Measured CPI and IPC expose memory latency as the dominant performance bottleneck.
04 · What this demonstrates
Engineering signal
Systems-level performance analysis using reproducible architectural simulations.
Quantitative validation of design trade-offs instead of relying on theoretical expectations alone.
Clear separation between measured simulator output and analytically estimated power values.