Formula 1: Hybrid Era & System-Level Power Usage Optimization

Picture this: it's the last race of a grueling Formula 1 season in which you've managed to outperform the car and still be within range of winning the championship. The only thing you have to do is to win the final race. However, this race takes place at the Baku circuit in Azerbaijan. As you remember from previous seasons, this circuit has one of the longest straights in the entire season. It is one of the best power circuits on the calendar, but you also have a tricky middle sector that requires your car to carry more downforce. 

Five laps left in the race, and you are being chased by your main contender, Lewis Hamilton, in his Mercedes F1 car. He is only 1.2 seconds behind, but you've managed to hold them off until now. However, with both of you on old tires, and the race winding down, he starts to reel you in. He has a much better hybrid power unit than you, which is beginning to matter in the final stretch of this race. With three laps to go, he is only 0.2 seconds behind you, going into the final corner towards that main straight you are afraid of.

It has been a grueling lap where you defended his every move with everything you have. However, it meant that your powertrain could not charge enough, meaning that you are now down on electric power going into the main straight. Down the straight, he finally passes you because your electric power generation unit could not keep up with all the demands you were placing on it. In only a few milliseconds, your electric recover system (ERS) temporarily fails, leaving you vulnerable. Lewis Hamilton manages to sweep past you and win the final race by three seconds, taking the championship from you.

This scenario showcases how crucial it is to understand power usage at a system level. 

The best teams are the ones that can build an integrated power unit that works much more efficiently than others. Mercedes drastically improved power usage and efficiency, making them the kings of the hybrid Era in Formula 1. Their power unit was so much better than others that they never had to run it at full power for about four years. Imagine being in a sport where you are so far ahead of your competition that you have to hide your true potential for a whopping four years. Power usage in Formula 1 is now everything as the sport has moved to smaller engines and more hybrid features.

The Value of System Level Power Usage Optimization

Power usage is a significant issue in all devices we build today. We are severely limited by how much energy can be stored by a conventional chemical battery. Because of that, semiconductor companies understand the importance of optimizing energy usage versus performance. It is the same way in Formula 1. Formula 1 teams also understand that capturing as much energy as possible is critical to the car's performance. The design at the system level always considers this. Leading companies try to make the entire power unit as efficient as possible. Recently, Mercedes achieved around a 52% thermal efficiency for its power unit. Compare this to the 30% thermal efficiency of most conventional engines. Basically, more gasoline energy returned into power means better horsepower for the car without burning extra fuel.

The System Level Design of a Modern F1 Car

Let's look at the system-level design of a modern F1 power unit. A modern Formula 1 power unit has a V-6 engine, a thermal recovery system called the MGU-H, and an electric recovery system called MGU-K. The entire system is connected to a battery that stores and releases energy as needed over a lap. Despite being only a 1.6L, the V-6 engine can typically deliver more than 800 hp by itself. The ERS (MGU-H and MGU-K together) is legally allowed 161 hp of power. This is because teams would turn it into an specs race without any restrictions. As a driver goes through a lap, they have the opportunity to cycle through different engine modes that direct the charging or discharging of the stored battery energy. 

The MGU-H system takes waste heat energy from the engine and turns it into electricity that goes to the battery. Recycling, essentially. The MGU-K system does the same by turning braking energy into electricity. If a driver wants to use up all the energy in the battery, he can set the driving mode to the maximum setting. However, if they want to use none of the energy, they can set it to the maximum charging setting. This intricate balance has added an extra element of strategy to how drivers race in the modern era. It also demonstrates the importance of power management in F1 car design.

Power Usage in Electric and Hybrid Cars on the Road

The great thing about the technology from F1 cars is that it is making it to vehicles on the road. In fact, regenerative braking is a technology that started in F1 with the KERS system. The KERS (kinetic energy recovery system) was first utilized during the 2009 season. This system has a much simpler design compared to the current ERS. You had seven seconds of battery power regenerated by applying the brakes. It also added an element of strategy to racing, which is why the current iteration of Formula 1 has ERS. Many of the power usage and system-level design elements are also making their way from F1 to road cars. It shows how important it is to optimize your device for power usage to make it as efficient as possible.

Power Usage and Optimization Will Always be the Bottleneck

Unless we get to a stage where we have infinite power in a small AA battery, we will always need to worry about power usage being a bottleneck. Today's main bottleneck in our smartphones is our ability to control heat and power usage to give users the most energy-efficient system imaginable. Low-power design is even making its way into the desktop semiconductor environment. Power issues often plague companies like Intel or AMD, causing them to lose competitiveness during upgrade cycles. Power optimization will only get more vital until we have a situation where battery technology has improved dramatically compared to where it is today.

How Cadence Helps Improve Power Usage 

F1 car design isn't the only place that demands good semiconductor design analysis for better power usage. At the system level, power design has become a core of what modern electronics companies focus on. It is one of the many reasons why Cadence has plenty of tools to help with power estimation, design analysis, and overall power design in your semiconductors. The semiconductor industry is often more competitive than a Formula 1 season, which is why companies need all the help and expertise they can get from companies like Cadence. Furthermore, nearly all electronics address power optimization. These include mobile devices, wearables, smart appliances, industrial automation, big data processing, data centers etc. Power management is critical, from the architectural stage to SoC and system design analysis and all the way to sign-off.  

Cadence addresses low-power design from the chip to the system level to verify that the power integrity of the entire system is achieved in the context of the chip, board, and package. Cadence has many forms of technology to address power issues, including:

• Architecture optimization
• Power estimation and analysis
• Functional verification
• Implementation and signoff
• IP for digital and mixed-signal designs at both chip and system level

Ultimately, for any stakeholder and at any level, the best way to get an edge over your competition is to have the latest Cadence design tools. These will help you get to market faster with a much better design.

Learn about the latest Cadence tools for system-level thermal and power usage design and optimization today.