{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.speedstep","code":"thing-q1152875","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q1152875/","name":"SpeedStep","alternateNames":[],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.3","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Cross-cutting context","entryKind":"thing","plane":"XCT","domain":["XCT.QTY"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"A dynamic frequency and voltage scaling technology in Intel processors, introduced in 2000 for mobile chips, that lowers clock speed and core voltage when full performance is not needed to reduce power consumption and heat, with Enhanced SpeedStep adding finer operating points controlled by the operating system through ACPI; SpeedStep is a brand for a general technique also implemented by other vendors under names such as PowerNow and Cool n Quiet.","purpose":"Let an agent explain SpeedStep and dynamic frequency scaling, relay how operating systems control it, describe its role in power management, and distinguish it from turbo boost and from other vendor implementations.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Frequency and voltage steps","OS-controlled via ACPI","Mobile origin","Vendor brand for a general technique"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"understand","name":"Understand","description":"What SpeedStep is.","layers":[{"id":"definition","name":"Definition","description":"Definition and mechanism.","findings":[{"id":"definition-finding","name":"Definition","description":"Definition.","questions":[{"text":"What is SpeedStep, and how does lowering frequency and voltage save power?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Is the question about SpeedStep, Turbo Boost or another vendor technology?","kind":"boundary"}]}]},{"id":"versions","name":"Versions","description":"Versions.","findings":[{"id":"versions-finding","name":"Versions","description":"Versions.","questions":[{"text":"How do original, Enhanced SpeedStep and Speed Shift differ?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific version?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"control","name":"Control","description":"Operating system control.","layers":[{"id":"acpi","name":"ACPI","description":"ACPI and P-states.","findings":[{"id":"acpi-finding","name":"ACPI","description":"ACPI.","questions":[{"text":"How do operating systems manage P-states through ACPI and governors?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which references are standard?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"settings","name":"Settings","description":"User settings.","findings":[{"id":"settings-finding","name":"Settings","description":"Settings.","questions":[{"text":"How can users view and configure frequency scaling on common operating systems, in general terms?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits power management in operating systems?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"effects","name":"Effects","description":"Performance and power.","layers":[{"id":"power","name":"Power","description":"Power savings.","findings":[{"id":"power-finding","name":"Power","description":"Power.","questions":[{"text":"How much power and heat do such techniques save, as measured in reports?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which sources are cited?","kind":"provenance"}]}]},{"id":"performance","name":"Performance","description":"Performance impact.","findings":[{"id":"performance-finding","name":"Performance","description":"Performance.","questions":[{"text":"How does frequency scaling affect performance and latency?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits processor performance?","kind":"action"}]}]}]},{"id":"context","name":"Context","description":"History and alternatives.","layers":[{"id":"history","name":"History","description":"History.","findings":[{"id":"history-finding","name":"History","description":"History.","questions":[{"text":"How did SpeedStep develop from 2000 onward, and how did it shape laptop design?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the history of mobile computing?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"alternatives","name":"Alternatives","description":"Other vendors.","findings":[{"id":"alternatives-finding","name":"Alternatives","description":"Alternatives.","questions":[{"text":"What equivalent technologies exist from AMD, Arm and others?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which entry fits the specific technology?","kind":"action"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain how the technique saves power by scaling processor frequency and voltage.","Configure power plans on systems it administers, following the owner's preferences."],"mustNot":["Disable power or thermal management in a way that lets a processor overheat.","Change power settings on a machine it does not administer.","Present the brand as the only implementation of frequency scaling.","Use power behaviour to fingerprint or track a user's activity without consent."],"requiresHuman":["Applying firmware or power policy changes across a fleet of machines."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Power management cuts energy use and heat, which matters for battery life and the climate.","Power side channels can leak private information if misused."],"affectedParties":["Computer users","Administrators"]},"owners":{"steward":"The device owner; the processor vendor answers for the feature.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q2027240","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"dynamic frequency scaling","type":"related","note":"in registry terms"},{"target":"Intel processor","type":"related","note":"families"},{"target":"ACPI","type":"related","note":"performance states"},{"target":"Intel Turbo Boost","type":"related","note":"which raises frequency"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.speedstep","Wikidata: Q1152875 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1152875)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":["introduced: 2000 year - Mobile Pentium III"]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Intel dynamic frequency and voltage scaling","SpeedStep, Enhanced SpeedStep, Speed Shift","Turbo Boost raises frequency above base; PowerNow and Cool n Quiet are AMD equivalents","Not a visible object; a processor feature exposed in firmware and OS settings."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["explain the technology","relay OS control mechanisms","describe power management role","distinguish from related technologies"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Performance loss when misconfigured","Confusing brand names across vendors","Stale details after processor generations"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["ACPI specification for processor performance states","Energy efficiency regulations for computers such as Energy Star"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Reducing processor power consumption.","original SpeedStep with two states","Enhanced Intel SpeedStep with multiple P-states","Speed Shift with hardware-controlled states","equivalent technologies from AMD, Arm and others","dynamic voltage and frequency scaling in general"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q1152875: SpeedStep","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1152875","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: SpeedStep","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpeedStep","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should dynamic voltage and frequency scaling be the primary linked entry?","How should Intel documentation be linked?","How should successor technologies be recorded?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q1152875/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q1152875/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-13T01:23:35Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-06T19:51:53+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane XCT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}