Ultra-low Power Circuits for Next Generation Wireless Sensors and Self-Powered Systems Video

Abstract: The next generation Internet of Things (IoT) envisions trillions of miniature devices that essentially disappear into the environment and objects around us, to improve our lives by measuring information from our world and routing it to stake-holders or connected devices that take action for our benefit. This talk describes how low power circuit design can enable this vision of a trillion-node IoT. Low power circuits for digital logic and memory operating in near-threshold or sub-threshold pair with system components from regulators to radios to enable ubiquitous computing that can operate continuously. In the extreme, these devices can operate entirely from harvested energy with no batteries required. This talk covers key tradeoffs for ultra-low power system design and describes several generations of systems-on-chip that have enabled self-powered system operation, which show active power consumption from microwatts to nanowatts. Together, these results provide a capability for designing ultra-low power wireless nodes to enable robust self-powered system deployments.