Power consumption is one of the primary roadblocks to greatly expanding the role of computing in everyday life. While server farms allow for instantaneous storing and retrieval of information, companies struggle with the cost and environmental impact of high power and cooling bills. On the other side of computing spectrum, researchers have envisioned true integration of computing with the environment by deploying networked sensors into all aspects of our lives. However, their power consumption remains one of the major impediments for their true integration.
In this proposal the PIs advocate the use of NEMS switches to control leakage in order to advance the low-power design of computing architectures to the next level. Considering the most difficult part of promoting emerging technologies is integrating them with entrenched technologies and design flows, the PIs will investigate all of the important aspects of incorporating NEMS switches with the industry-standard CMOS process flow. This approach not only allows for eventual commercialization, but also provides an economical platform for other researchers to investigate and refine this approach.
The proposed work also includes development of an educational module that will introduce the concepts of green computing specifically for a high school/freshman audience. The goal of the module is to present the benefits of engineering to the society to students with the hope of attracting them to the computer engineering discipline.
