Intel shows off dynamic power performance management (DPPM) for notebooks

Intel Dynamic Power Performance Management (DPPM) is platform thermal management for laptops that allows for optimized performance in all conditions, while maintaining components under thermal specifications. Allowing the intelligent communication between the processor, chipset, and memory, DPPM can manage laptop power and thermals at the platform level, by utilizing the fact that every component has a power/thermal relationship with one another. If one component consumes more power, it not only heats itself, but also the neighboring components. Exploiting this principle reduces thermal guard band, allowing for thinner, lighter, and even fanless laptop design.

Two fully rugged, fanless Panasonic Toughbooks The DPPM demo at the Intel Developer’s Forum in Taiwan highlights this intelligent thermal management technology. Two fully rugged, fanless Panasonic Toughbooks are placed in a temperature controlled desert-themed terrarium (think sand, cactus, snakes, and lizards, oh my!) running the same applications. The only difference is one system is using DPPM platform-level thermal management while the other is using traditional component-level thermal management. At the elevated ambient temperature of up to 38°C (think tanning in Palm Springs), the system with traditional component-level thermal management plays the Monterey Bay video in a “stuttering” or “choppy” manner. However, the laptop with DPPM technology runs the Monterey Bay video nice and smoothly. System performance is less impacted by harnessing the principles of platform thermal management, while keeping everything nice and cool.