BACKGROUND

[0001] Computing devices include hardware components that individually or collectively execute a wide variety of computing operations or that facilitate computing operations. For example, a hard drive stores and retrieves data useable by the applications executing on the computing device. As another example, a port facilitates a connection with a peripheral device. As yet another example, a fan operating within the computing device ensures that other components don’t overheat and malfunction. While specific reference is made to particular hardware components in a computing device, a computing device may include any variety of hardware components to allow a user to carry out a variety of intended operations.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0002] The accompanying drawings illustrate various examples of the principles described herein and are part of the specification. The illustrated examples are given merely for illustration, and do not limit the scope of the claims.

[0003] Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a voltage regulation system for reducing hardware component voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein.

[0004] Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method for reducing hardware component voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein. [0005] Fig. 3 is a diagram of a voltage regulation system for reducing hardware component voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein.

[0006] Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a method for reducing hardware component voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein.

[0007] Fig. 5 depicts a computing device with voltage regulation systems for reducing hardware component voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein.

[0008] Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements. The figures are not necessarily to scale, and the size of some parts may be exaggerated to more clearly illustrate the example shown. Moreover, the drawings provide examples and/or implementations that coincide with the description; however, the description is not limited to the examples and/or implementations provided in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] Computing devices are used by millions of people daily to carry out business, personal, and social operations and it is not uncommon for an individual to interact with multiple computing devices on a daily basis.

Examples of computing devices include desktop computers, laptop computers, all-in-one devices, tablets, and gaming systems to name a few. A computing device may include any number of hardware components. Some hardware components operate with other hardware components to execute a function of the computing device. For example, a memory device may include instructions that are executable by a processor. The instructions when executed by the processor, may cause the processor to execute an operation on the computing device. As a specific example, the computing device may include a central processing unit (CPU) and/or a graphics processing unit (GPU).

[0010] Other hardware components support the execution of operations. For example, as the processor and memory devices are used, they generate heat. Too much heat may negatively impact component performance. Accordingly, a fan or other cooling mechanism may operate to draw heat away from the processor and memory devices to improve their performance. As yet another example, an input device port, such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, may receive a connector of an input device, which input device provides the computing device with input data to operate on. While specific reference is made to particular hardware components, a computing device may include any number and any variety of hardware components to carry out an intended function of the computing device.

[0011] As computing devices are becoming more ubiquitous in society, some developments may further enhance their integration. For example, each hardware device consumes power. As computing devices become more sophisticated, the power draw of computing devices is likely to increase. That is, as the capability and performance of computing devices increases, the power draw for the computing device also increases. Accordingly, the present specification describes a system and method that manage the hardware components in a more energy-efficient manner. That is, the present specification allows the computing device to maintain high performance while reducing power consumption.

[0012] Specifically, in general a hardware component has an operating voltage range which indicates a voltage amount to be supplied to the hardware component to ensure proper performance. It may be the case that a computing device provides a value on the higher end of the range so as to ensure proper functioning of the hardware component, even in the event of a voltage drop.

For example, a fan of a computing device may have a target voltage value of 12 V with a 10% threshold in either direction. As such, the operating voltage range for the fan may be 10.8 V to 13.2 V. During use, the voltage provided to the fan may unexpectedly drop due to stress on the fan and/or continual use of the fan. If the fan is operated at a voltage on a lower end of this range, this voltage drop may cause the fan operating voltage to drop outside of the operating range in such a way as to impact performance.

[0013] As described, various hardware components are susceptible to voltage drops resulting from stress on the individual hardware component and/or the effect of multiple hardware components operating at the same time. Accordingly, a computing device may provide a voltage on the higher end of the operating range such that even when such a voltage drop occurs, the component remains within the proscribed operating range. As another example, a USB port may be provided with 5.15 V, which is greater than the proscribed 5 V for the USB port. This higher value is provided such that the port operates properly in the event of a voltage drop that may occur. However, higher voltages result in higher power consumption, given a constant current. Accordingly, actions to protect the device performance in the face of a voltage reduction cause the computing device to consume more power.

[0014] Accordingly, the present system and method decrease the voltage supplied to the hardware components when they are in an idle mode and therefore are not as susceptible to unanticipated voltage drops. In such a scenario, when the current is the same, the power consumption is lower due to the reduction in voltage to the hardware component. Specifically, the voltage regulation system includes a controller to monitor the state of the hardware component. Responsive to an indication that the hardware component is idle, a voltage regulating circuit decreases the voltage supplied to the hardware component. In some examples, the activation of the voltage regulating circuit may be controlled by a general purpose input/output (GPIO) pin to turn the voltage regulating circuit on and off.

[0015] Specifically, the present specification describes a voltage regulation system. The voltage regulation system includes a controller to detect a state of a hardware component. The voltage regulation system also includes a voltage regulating circuit to regulate the voltage supplied to the hardware component. The voltage regulating circuit includes an input electrically connected to the hardware component to receive an indication of a voltage supplied to the hardware component. The voltage regulating circuit also includes a switch which, responsive to an indication that the hardware component is in an idle state, selectively reduces the voltage supplied to the hardware component.

[0016] The present specification also describes a method. According to the method, a voltage supplied to a hardware component of a computing device is received. The controller detects that the hardware component of the computing device is in an idle state. Responsive to an indication that the hardware component of the computing device is in the idle state, a switch couples a supplemental resistor in parallel with a first resistor of a voltage divider to reduce an output voltage of the voltage divider. In this example, the output voltage is passed to an input of the hardware component.

[0017] The present specification also describes a computing device that includes a number of hardware components and a controller to detect a state of the hardware components. The computing device includes a voltage regulating circuit per hardware component. Each voltage regulating circuit includes a voltage divider, a supplemental resistor in parallel with a first resistor of the voltage divider, circuitry to, responsive to an indication that the hardware component is in an idle state, change an impedance of the voltage divider to reduce the voltage, and a voltage regulator chip electrically connected to the hardware component.

[0018] In summary, using such a voltage regulation system, method, and computing device may, for example, 1 ) ensure hardware components are provided with a voltage within the operating range of the hardware component and 2) reduces power consumption of the hardware component and computing device. However, it is contemplated that the computing devices disclosed herein may address other matters and deficiencies in a number of technical areas, for example.

[0019] As used in the present specification and in the appended claims, the term, “controller” includes a processor and a memory device. The processor includes the circuitry to retrieve executable code from the memory and execute the executable code. As specific examples, the controller as described herein may include machine-readable storage medium, machine-readable storage medium and a processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a semiconductor-based microprocessor, and a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), and/or other hardware device.

[0020] As used in the present specification an in the appended claims, the term “memory” includes a non-transitory storage medium, which machine- readable storage medium may contain, or store machine-usable program code for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The memory may take many forms including volatile and non-volatile memory. For example, the memory may include Random-Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), optical memory disks, and magnetic disks, among others. The executable code may, when executed by the respective component, cause the component to implement the functionality described herein. The memory may include a single memory element or multiple memory elements.

[0021] As used in the present specification and in the appended claims, the term “a number of” or similar language is meant to be understood broadly as any positive number including 1 to infinity.

[0022] Turning now to the figures, Fig. 1 is a block diagram of a voltage regulation system (100) for reducing hardware component voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein. The voltage regulation system (100) of the present specification may be implemented in any variety of computing devices. For example, the voltage regulation system (100) may be implemented in a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a server, a tablet device and a gaming system. While particular reference is made to specific computing devices, the principles described herein may be implemented in a variety of different kinds of computing devices. The computing device may include a number of hardware components, each of which have a prescribed operating threshold range.

[0023] As described above, the voltage regulation system (100) reduces a voltage supplied to a hardware component. Accordingly, the voltage regulation system (100) includes an input (102) that is electrically connected to the hardware component of the computing device. This input (102) receives a voltage that is supplied to the hardware component. In an example, the input (102) may be an electrical trace connected to the hardware component. For example, there may be any number of electrical traces coupled to a hardware component. One of these may be coupled to an input of the hardware component and may be routed to other hardware components or controllers. The input voltage value, or an indication of such, may be coupled to a voltage regulating circuit (106).

[0024] The voltage regulation system (100) may also include a controller (104) to detect a state of the hardware component. That is, each hardware component, and the computing device in general, may be in a variety of states including an active state, a performance state, and/or an idle state. The idle state may be defined as a state in which the hardware component is in a reduced activity mode. For example, a port in an idle state may not be actively connected to a peripheral device. In an example, the idle state may be defined by a duty cycle of the hardware component. For example, a fan operating at 100% duty cycle may rotate at a rate of 1 ,000 rotations per minute (RPMs). A fan operating at a 30% duty cycle may be rotating at a rate of 300 rotations per minute (RPMs). As such, a fan or other hardware component, may be defined to be in the idle state when the duty cycle is below a threshold value such as 30%, 20%, or some other percentage of full operational capacity.

[0025] The state of a hardware component may be determined by a state of the computing device. The state of the computing device may be determined based on user activity. For example, if no activity or user input is detected for a period of time, for example 5 - 15 minutes, the computing device may enter an idle state wherein certain components are de-activated. For example, the screen of the computing device may be turned off and the central processing unit (CPU) may be placed in a reduced power consumption mode.

[0026] While particular reference is made to particular hardware components being in an idle state, any of the aforementioned hardware components and others may similarly be placed in an idle state. For example, the fan may have a reduced duty cycle as not as much cooling is required given that other hardware components are less active. The controller (104) includes a monitor that can detect when the computing device is idle due to user inactivity or based on other criteria. Accordingly, the controller (104) may detect this idle state and pass a signal to a switch (108) to engage the voltage regulating circuit (106). That is, as the computing device or a hardware component thereof enters the idle state, an indicator which is part of the controller (104) may issue a command to the switch (108) to activate the voltage regulating circuit (106). [0027] The voltage regulating circuit (106) includes a switch (108) to selectively reduce the voltage supplied to the hardware component. That is, the voltage regulating circuit (106) regulates the voltage supplied to the hardware component, specifically by reducing the voltage supplied to the hardware component. The switch (108), or other multiplexing circuitry may operate to selectively couple the voltage regulating circuit (106) to the input of the hardware component such that voltage supplied to the hardware component is reduced.

[0028] In an example, the voltage regulating circuit (106) reduces the voltage supplied to the hardware component responsive to an indication that the computing device as a whole, and not just the hardware component, is in an idle state. In another example, the switch (108) may reduce the voltage supplied to a particular hardware component responsive to an indication that the particular hardware component is in an idle state. That is, the switch (108) may be triggered by either a hardware component specific state, or a more general computing device wide state.

[0029] As described above, voltage regulation may include reducing the voltage supplied to the hardware component. Doing so may decrease the overall power consumption of the hardware component. Reducing the power consumption of each hardware component when the computing device is in an idle state reduces overall power consumption of the computing device.

[0030] In one particular example, the voltage regulating circuit (106) includes a voltage divider and a supplemental resistor in parallel with the voltage divider. An example is depicted in Fig. 3. However, other voltage regulating circuits (106) may be implemented in accordance with the principles described in.

[0031] The voltage regulating circuit (106) may reduce the voltage supplied to the hardware component by an amount to remain within the operating range for the hardware component, which may be less than 10% of the operating voltage for the hardware component. For example, given a hardware component operating voltage range of 12 V ± 10%, the voltage regulating circuit (106) may drop the voltage from 12 V to 11 V, thus the hardware component is still operating within the range wherein it is to provide a predetermined level of performance.

[0032] By reducing the voltage when in an idle state, the overall power consumption of the computing device and hardware component is reduced, all while ensuring that the hardware components within the computing device operate as intended, as defined by being operated within the proscribed operating voltage range.

[0033] Fig. 2 is a flowchart of a method (200) for reducing hardware component voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein. According to the method (200), an input (Fig. 1 , 102) receives (block 201) a voltage of a hardware component of a computing device. That is, as described above each hardware component draws voltage to execute its intended function. The amount of voltage supplied to the hardware component may be passed to the input (Fig. 1 , 102). That is, the voltage line coupling the hardware component to the power source may include a junction, which junction relays an indication of the supplied voltage amount to the input (Fig. 1 , 102) via an electrical connection.

[0034] The controller (Fig. 1 , 104) detects (block 202) that the hardware component of the computing device is in an idle state. This may be performed in any number of ways. For example, the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) may monitor the state of the computing device or may be in communication with a component that monitors the state of the computing device. This controller (Fig. 1 , 104) or other component may receive an interrupt or trigger indicating that the computing device is in an idle state. For example, the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) may detect that user input has not been received for a predetermined amount of time and that the computing device therefore has entered into an idle state. In another example, user input may trigger the idle mode. For example, a user may activate a mechanical button or user interface element to place the computing device into an idle state.

[0035] In one particular example, the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) may detect a duty cycle of a hardware component to identify when the hardware component is in the idle state. That is, as described above, an idle state for a hardware component may be defined by a duty cycle of the hardware component. Accordingly, the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) or other monitor may determine that the hardware component is in the idle state when the duty cycle is below the threshold value.

[0036] Responsive to an indication that the hardware component is in an idle state, the method (200) includes coupling (block 203) a first resistor of a voltage divider with a supplemental resistor that is in parallel with the first resistor.

Doing so increases the impedance of the voltage divider such that an output voltage of the voltage divider is reduced. As the voltage divider is coupled to an input of the hardware component, the voltage supplied to the hardware component is reduced. As such, the method (200) reduces the voltage that is supplied to a hardware component to reduce the overall power consumption of the hardware component. As this may be done for multiple or all of the hardware components of a computing device, the overall power consumption of the computing device may be reduced.

[0037] Fig. 3 is a diagram of a voltage regulation system (100) for reducing hardware component (314) voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein. In some examples, a single controller (104) may be coupled to multiple hardware components (314-1 , 314-2) and their respective voltage regulating circuitry. In this example, the input (Fig. 1 , 102) is upstream of the hardware components (314). The hardware components (314) may be of a variety of types including a fan, a port such as a USB port, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (CPU), and a memory device such as a solid-state drive (SSD). While particular reference is made to particular hardware components (314), the voltage regulation system (Fig. 1 , 100) may be coupled to different hardware components (314).

[0038] Fig. 3 depicts the controller (104) that detects the idle state of the hardware components (314) or more generally of the computing device. The controller (104) may take a variety of forms. For example, the controller (104) may be a super input/output (SIO) chip. In another example, the controller (104) may be a platform controller hub (PCH). Each of these components include their own protocol that may provide the trigger signal to the switches (108) to trigger coupling to the hardware component (314) input. That is, either of these components may monitor and detect when the idle state condition is met and may so indicate to the switches (108). In either example, the controller (104) may include a general purpose input/output (GPIO) pin to communicate with the switch (108). That is, the PCH or SIO chip may include a controller pin, i.e., a GPIO pin. The GPIO pin detects that the component (or the computing device in general) is in an ide state and may change an output signal from “0” to “1” to trigger closing of the switch (108).

[0039] As described above, the controller (104) of the voltage regulation system (100) may be coupled to voltage regulating circuits (106) of other hardware components (314). That is, in one example each hardware component (314) has its own voltage regulating circuit (106) and may share a controller (104) with other hardware components (314). In another example, each hardware component (314) has its own voltage regulating circuit (106) and its own controller (104).

[0040] Fig. 3 also depicts the switches (108) which selectively couple the first resistors (316-1 ) of the voltage divider with supplemental resistors (316-3). In an example, the switches (108) may be a mechanical switch. In another example, the switches (108) may be a metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). In either example, when the controller (104) detects that the computing device and/or hardware components (314) are idle, the controller (104) may close the switches (108) which changes the impedance of the voltage divider and reduces the output voltage. By comparison, when the controller (104) detects that the computing device and/or hardware components (314) are in an active state, the controller (104) may open the switches (108), such that a higher voltage is passed to the hardware components (314).

[0041] Fig. 3 also provides more detail regarding the voltage regulating circuit (106). Specifically, the voltage regulating circuits (106) may include a voltage divider made up of a first resistor (316-1 ) and a second resistor (316-2). The voltage regulating circuits (106) also includes supplemental resistors (316- 3) that are in parallel with the first resistors (316-1 ) of the voltage divider. In this example, the switches (108) upon receiving a trigger from the controller (104), selectively couples the supplemental resistors (316-3) in parallel with the first resistors (316-1) to reduce the voltage supplied to the hardware component as an output of the voltage regulating circuits (106) is coupled to the input of the hardware components (314). A specific numeric example is now provided. [0042] In general, the voltage output by the voltage regulating circuits (106) and that is passed to the hardware component is a function of the resistances of the first resistor (316-1) and the second resistor (316-2) may be calculated using the following formula. Equation (1)

[0043] In Equation (1), Ri is the resistance of the first resistor (316-1 ) and R2 is the resistance of the second resistor (316-2). According to this equation, when the hardware component (314) is a fan, given an R1 value of 10 kiloohms (kQ) and an R2 value of 50 kQ, the output supplied to the fan may be 12 volts (V) as calculated using Equation (1). However, when coupled to a supplemental resistor (316-3) via action of the switch (108), the voltage supplied to the hardware component (314) may change. That is, the resistance of the supplemental resistor (316-3) increases the overall impedance such that voltage is reduced. Continuing the example of above, given a supplemental resistor (316-3) resistance of 450 kQ the overall resistance of the top portion of the voltage divider may be calculated using Equation (2) below.

[0044] Equation (2)

[0045] In Equation (2), R _s is the resistance of the supplemental resistor (316- 3) and R _p is the combined resistance of the first resistor (316-1 ) and the supplemental resistor (316-3). Given, R1 of 50 kQ and R _s of 450 kQ, R _p is calculated to be 45 kQ. This R _p value may be substituted into Equation (1) for R1 to yield a V _ou t value of 11 V. Thus, when the supplemental resistor (316-3) is coupled to the first resistor (316-1) of the voltage divider, the overall voltage output to the hardware component is 11 V. Given that the fan may have a threshold range of between 10.8 V and 13.2 V, this value represents a reduced voltage level, but that maintains the fan within operational parameters to cool the idle system. Given that power is equal to current multiplied by voltage and a current draw of the fan of 0.5 amperes (A), the power savings from reducing the voltage to the fan from 12 V to 11 V may be determined based on Equation (3).

P = l(Vi ~ ^2) Equation (3)

[0046] Given an I of 0.5, Vi of 12 V, and V2 of 11 V, the overall power savings is calculated to be 0.5 watts (W).

[0047] As another example, given a USB port with an operating voltage range of 5 V ± 5% (i.e. , 4.75 V - 5.25 V), when active, R2 may be 10 kQ, R1 may be 15 kQ such that the V _ou t when the USB port is active may be 5 V as calculated using Equation (1).

[0048] When the USB port is in an idle mode, the switch (108) is closed and the supplemental resistor (316-3) is coupled to the first resistor (316-1). Given a supplemental resistor (316-3) resistance, R _s of 165 kQ and an amperage of 0.5 A, the reduced voltage value may be 4.75 V resulting in a power savings of 0.125 W as calculated from Equation (3).

[0049] In the example depicted in Fig. 3, the voltage regulation system (Fig. 1 , 100) may include a voltage regulator (VR) chip (310-1 , 310-2). The VR chip (310) may include a number of pins connected to electrical traces. In a particular example, the voltage supplied to the hardware components (314) may be coupled to a SW pin of the VR chips (310) and the VR chips (310) may be coupled to the voltage regulating circuits (106-1 , 106-2) via the FB pin of the VR chips (310). The VR chips (310) may include other pins that are connected to other hardware components.

[0050] In an example, the voltage regulation system (Fig. 1 , 100) includes filters (312-1 , 312-2) coupled to the input of the hardware component (314). The filters (312) alter the output voltage that is passed to the hardware components (314). The filters (312) may filter noise and/or maintain voltage at a stable level.

[0051] As can be seen, reducing the voltage to the hardware component (314) when the hardware component (314) is in an idle mode provides a power savings while maintaining the hardware component (314) within an operating range wherein performance is ensured. When the hardware component (314) is in an active state where a voltage drop is more likely to occur, the hardware component (314) is maintained at a higher voltage level to accommodate any voltage drop. That is, the present voltage regulation system (Fig. 1 , 100) takes advantage of the fact that voltage drops resulting from a stressed electrical line are not as likely to occur when the computing device is idle.

[0052] T ables (1 ) - (3) below provide measurements of power values measured for a fan hardware component (314) at various duty cycles and various voltage values. Specifically, Table (1) depicts power consumption for the fan across various duty cycles when the supplied voltage is unreduced, i.e. , 12 V. Table (2) depicts power consumption for the fan across various duty cycles when the supplied voltage is reduced by a first amount, i.e., 0.5 V such that the overall voltage supplied to the fan is 11 .5 V. Table (3) depicts power consumption for the fan across various duty cycles when the supplied voltage is reduced by a second amount, i.e., 1 V such that the overall voltage supplied to the fan is 11 V.

Table (1 )

Table (2)

Table (3)

[0053] As can be seen in Tables (1) - (3), as the voltage is reduced by the voltage regulating circuit (106), (i.e., from 12 V to 11 V) overall power consumption is similarly reduced for all duty cycle classes.

[0054] Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a method (400) for reducing hardware component (Fig. 3, 314) voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein. As described above, a voltage supplied to the hardware component (Fig. 3, 314) of the computing device is received (block 401). The controller (Fig. 1 , 104) continuously monitors the state of the computing device and/or hardware component. When the computing device or the hardware component (Fig. 3, 314) is active (block 402, determination NO), the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) continues to monitor for idleness. When the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) detects that the hardware component (Fig. 3, 314) and/or the computing device is idle, (block 402, determination YES), the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) instructs the switch (Fig. 1 , 108) to couple (block 403) a supplemental resistor (Fig. 3, 316-3) with a voltage divider to reduce an output voltage of the voltage divider.

[0055] In addition to detecting when the hardware component (Fig. 3, 314) and/or the computing device is idle, the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) may detect (block 404) that the hardware component (Fig. 3, 314) of the computing device has returned to an active state. While the computing device or the hardware component (Fig. 3, 314) is idle (block 404, determination NO), the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) continues to monitor for activity and the supplemental resistor (Fig. 3, 316-3) remains coupled to the voltage divider. Responsive to an indication that the hardware component (Fig. 3, 314) of the computing device has returned to activity (block 404, determination YES), the controller (Fig. 1 , 104) instructs the switch (Fig. 1 , 108) to decouple (block 405) the supplemental resistor (Fig. 3, 316-3) from the voltage divider to increase the output voltage of the voltage divider. As such, the current method (400) allows for reduced voltage and increased power savings when the threat of voltage drop is low, i.e., during an idle state, and provides a sufficient amount of voltage to account for a voltage drop at times when such a voltage drop is more likely.

[0056] Fig. 5 depicts a computing device (518) with a voltage regulation system (Fig. 1 , 100) for reducing hardware component voltage, according to an example of the principles described herein. As described above, the computing device (518) may be of a variety of types including a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a server, a tablet device and a gaming system. As described above, the computing device (518) may include a number of hardware components (314). In an example, each hardware component (314) may have a dedicated voltage regulation circuit (VRC) (106) as described herein. Specifically, a first hardware component (314-1 ) may have a first VRC (106-1), while a second and third hardware component (314-2, 314-3) have respective second and third VRCs (106-2, 106-3). In an example, each VRC (106) may have a dedicated controller (Fig. 1 , 104). In another example, the VRC (106) may share a controller (Fig. 1 , 104). That is, a single controller (Fig. 1 , 104) may be coupled to multiple VRCs (106) and multiple switches (Fig. 1 , 108).

[0057] In one particular example, multiple VRCs (106) may be coupled to a hardware component (314). That is, in addition to being coupled to a third VRC (106-3), the third hardware component (314-3) may be coupled to a fourth VRC (106-4). Certain hardware components (314), such as double data rate 4 (DDR4) memory may be supplied with 1 .2 V, 0.6 V, and 3.3V. Accordingly, in this example, any or all of these inputs may be coupled to a respective VRC (106) so as to reduce the voltage along any line to reduce power consumption along that line.

[0058] As described above, each VRC (106) may be coupled a voltage regulator chip (Fig. 2, 210) electrically connected to the hardware component (100). The controller (Fig. 1 , 104), either a dedicated or shared controller (Fig. 1 , 104), detects a state of the hardware component (Fig. 3, 314) and the VRC (106) regulates a voltage supplied to the hardware component (Fig. 3, 314). As described above, the VRC (106) may include a voltage divider and a supplemental resistor (Fig. 3, 316-3) in parallel with a first resistor (Fig. 3, 316- 1 ) of the voltage divider. The VRC also includes circuitry, such as a switch (Fig. 1 , 108) to change an impedance of the voltage divider to reduce the voltage. Such a reduction may be responsive to an indication that the hardware component (314) is in an idle state.

[0059] In summary, using such a voltage regulation system, method, and computing device may, for example, 1) ensure hardware components are provided with a voltage within the operating range of the hardware component and 2) reduces power consumption of the hardware component and computing device. However, it is contemplated that the computing devices disclosed herein may address other matters and deficiencies in a number of technical areas, for example.