Design Methodologies for Energy Harvesting Wireless Sensor Nodes Slides

Abstract: Wireless sensor nodes (WSNs) for IoT systems need to enable always-on always-sensing (AOAS) and advanced edgecomputing capabilities under stringent energy constraints, often supported primarily by harvested energy. After an introduction into WSNs and their implementation challenges, this tutorial provides an overview of key blocks, designs, and system-level optimizations to enable energy-efficient WSN silicon. Multi-layered co-optimization approaches that crosscut architecture, devices, near-threshold voltage (NTV) logic and SRAM circuits, NTV cell libraries, low-power tool flows/methodologies, and aggressive power management techniques are required for realizing energy-efficient (μW) WSNs. The tutorial will also cover emerging trends in embedded energy-harvesting circuits, necessary to work in harmony with smart and fine-grain power management of different components of the WSN for realizing secure, AOAS-capable energyneutral WSN systems.