The disclosed methodology and apparatus may control heat generation in a
multi-core processor. In one embodiment, each processor core includes a
temperature sensor that reports temperature information to a processor
controller. If a particular processor core exceeds a predetermined
temperature, the processor core disables that processor core to allow it
to cool. The processor core enables the previously disabled processor
when the previously disabled processor core cools sufficiently to a
normal operating temperature. The disclosed multi-core processor may
avoid undesirable hot spots that impact processor life.