LLAMA: a Monte Carlo power estimation tool

The design of low-power digital circuits has become a topic of great relevance in recent years, with increased consumer interest in portable, battery operated communications and computing. Aiming for low-power performance requires a robust methodology for the estimation of the likely power consumption of circuits and system in advance of their fabrication. The Monte Carlo parameter estimation technique is a general method that has found application in recent years as a useful approach to CMOS power estimation, particularly when used in conjunction with a simulation engine such as SPICE. Transistor-level circuits are particularly amenable to this technique. This paper describes an implementation of a first-order MC method, which is used to determine the average power estimation of CMOS digital circuits, based on netlists extracted from the circuit layout. Power estimates for a variety of circuits are presented.

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