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ApplePatent applicationChips & hardwareInterest 4/10

Apple patents chip power management to balance heat and workload

Patent drawing
Patent drawing from the official filing.

Apple describes a method for its system-on-chip to dynamically adjust how much power different parts of the processor receive. The system monitors whether tasks are being created or finished faster, then shifts the power budget to the side that needs it most to keep the chip running efficiently without overheating.

Why it mattersThis helps Apple keep its devices cool and efficient by fine-tuning power usage in real-time, which is a standard but important part of modern chip design.

In the filing’s own words

Systems, methods, and apparatuses disclosed herein can advantageously leverage a power budget to manage heat. These systems, methods, and apparatuses can dynamically distribute the power budget to manage the heat. As part of this dynamic distribution, these systems, methods, and apparatuses can monitor their operation. In some embodiments, when this monitoring indicates that workloads are being created faster than being performed, these systems, methods, and apparatuses can be distributed more of the power budget to optimize the efficiency in performing these workloads. On the other hand, these systems, methods, and apparatuses can be distributed less of the power budget to optimize the efficiency in creating these workloads when this monitoring indicates workloads are being performed faster than being created.

What exactly they claim (claim 1)

1. (canceled)

Facts

Company
Apple (Apple Inc)
Official title
DYNAMIC PARTITIONING A POWER BUDGET AMONG COMPUTE AGENTS OF A SYSTEM ON CHIP (SOC)
Publication number
US20260299656A1
Application number
19452551
Filed
Jan 19, 2026
Published
Oct 1, 2026
Inventors
7
Claims
21

Classified under

G06F 1/206 Physics & computingG06F 1/26 Physics & computingG06F 1/28 Physics & computingG06F 1/3228 Physics & computingG06F 9/5094 Physics & computingG06F 11/3058 Physics & computing
Read the full filing (official PDF) ↗ Open in the Patent Tracker

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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.