An evaluation of HotSpot-3.0 block-based temperature model

Temperature has become an important constraint in modern microprocessors. Research on temperature-aware computer architecture requires a temperature model. Most recent microarchitecture publications dealing with temperature issues are based on HotSpot, a temperature model specifically developed for such studies. However, to our knowledge, there does not exist any independent evaluation of HotSpot apart from publications from HotSpot authors. This study is a series of comparisons between HotSpot block model and two other models : a finite-element model, and an analytical one. We show that space discretization in HotSpot may introduce a significant error, as is the case with classical numerical methods based on space discretization like finite differences and finite elements. Through this study, we hope to draw HotSpot users’ attention to the potential risks in using HotSpot blindly.