Power-Aware I/O Virtualization

Abstract

Power consumption is one of the key concerns in modern computers within which I/O consumes a significant portion of power, from portable devices to servers. This concern has led to the development of various hardware and software techniques to improve the energy efficiency of I/O subsystems in the native platform. However, virtualization poses new challenges, preventing those techniques from achieving the desired level of energy efficiency. In this paper, we analyze how I/O virtualization challenges impact energy efficiency, and propose a novel power-aware I/O virtualization architecture to tackle them. Our preliminary research on portable devices shows that new architecture can significantly extend battery life in a typical idle scenario, compared to existing solutions