Power-Aware Computing with Dynamic Knobs

Abstract

We present PowerDial, a system for dynamically adapting application behavior to execute successfully in the face of load and power fluctuations. PowerDial transforms static configuration parameters into dynamic knobs that the PowerDial control system can manipulate to dynamically trade off the accuracy of the computation in return for reductions in the computational resources that the application requires to produce its results. These reductions translate into power savings. Our experimental results show that PowerDial can enable our benchmark applications to execute responsively in the face of power caps (imposed, for example, in response to cooling system failures) that would otherwise significantly impair the delivered performance. They also show that PowerDial can reduce the number of machines required to meet peak load, in our experiments enabling up to a 75% reduction in direct power and capital costs.