Clock Gating in Digital Design

Clock Gating

Definition: Clock gating is a technique used in digital circuit design to reduce power consumption by preventing unnecessary clock switching in idle circuit parts.

Key Points:

• Saves dynamic power by disabling clock to inactive modules
• Implemented using logic gates (typically AND or OR) with enable signals
• Commonly applied at register, block, or module level
• Can be implemented at RTL or gate level
• Requires careful timing analysis to avoid clock skew issues

Main Benefits:

• Reduces dynamic power consumption
• Minimal impact on circuit performance when properly implemented

Considerations:

• May increase design complexity
• Requires verification to ensure correct functionality
• Can affect testability, necessitating DFT considerations

Clock gating is a standard feature in modern low-power digital design, particularly important for battery-operated devices.