How does process corner (fast/typical/slow) affect power?
From PDVerse Low-Power Physical Design Mentor Guide · pdVerse Mentor Guide
Definition
Process corner describes where on the fast-to-slow manufacturing spectrum a given chip landed, and characterization data shows that a 'fast' wafer corner delivers much better timing performance but is the corner that barely meets the power spec, while a 'slow' corner has much lower leakage and active power than spec (at the cost of barely passing timing).
Mentor Explanation
A beginner often assumes 'fast chip' and 'high power' are unrelated axes, but the data shows they move together: faster transistors (fast corner) inherently leak more and draw more active power than slow transistors at the same voltage and temperature. Think of it this way — speed and leakage are two sides of the same underlying transistor strength.
Example
A 'fast' wafer part evaluated at maximum voltage and maximum temperature is described as barely meeting the power spec, whereas a 'typical' or 'slow' part is comfortably under the power budget at those same conditions.
Why It Matters
This is precisely why timing signoff and power signoff use different, deliberately opposite corners — you can't use one corner for both, because the corner that stresses timing (slow, low voltage) is not the corner that stresses power (fast, high voltage, high temperature).
Common Beginner Mistake
A common beginner mistake is signing off power at the same slow/typical corner used for timing closure, which would badly underestimate real worst-case power on fast parts.
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