Power Estimation with a Markov Model

High Level CMOS power estimation requires the application of real system inputs to determine the power rating of a new application specific integrated circuit. The production of this data implies the ability to produce inputs before the design has been completed. Where a device functions in an environment with software, an assembler or compiler must already exist. This is often not the case, as hardware is often designed before software. An alternative source of input data is proposed, that uses a statistical model of the hardware-software interaction to obtain power estimates before device fabrication.