inference/research
verifiedhigh · 0.95updated 2026-10-03

NVIDIA System Management Interface (nvidia-smi) documentation - clock locking, power limit, and clocks throttle reasons

spec-sheet

Fields

id
sources/pwr2-nvidia-smi-throttle-reasons
Publisher
NVIDIA
Kind
spec-sheet
Accessed
2026-10-03
notes
Authoritative enumeration of the throttle-reason taxonomy that nvidia-smi reports, and of the clock-locking controls used to control for it. Defines --lock-gpu-clocks (with --mode=0 default and --mode=1 close-loop variant), --lock-memory-clocks, --lock-memory-clocks-deferred, and --reset-gpu-clocks. Clocks Event Reasons include SW Power Cap ('SW Power Scaling algorithm is reducing the clocks below requested clocks because the GPU is consuming too much power. E.g. SW power cap limit can be changed with nvidia-smi --power-limit=<Power Limit Value in W>'), HW Slowdown ('reducing the core clocks by a factor of 2 or more'), HW Thermal Slowdown, and HW Power Brake ('External Power Brake Assertion is triggered (e.g. by the system power supply)'). Documents that --lock-memory-clocks 'does not work on GPUs based on NVIDIA Hopper architectures; to lock memory clocks on those systems use --lock-memory-clocks-deferred instead'. Requires root for all clock and power-limit operations.

Notes

Authoritative enumeration of the throttle-reason taxonomy that nvidia-smi reports, and of the clock-locking controls used to control for it. Defines --lock-gpu-clocks (with --mode=0 default and --mode=1 close-loop variant), --lock-memory-clocks, --lock-memory-clocks-deferred, and --reset-gpu-clocks. Clocks Event Reasons include SW Power Cap ('SW Power Scaling algorithm is reducing the clocks below requested clocks because the GPU is consuming too much power. E.g. SW power cap limit can be changed with nvidia-smi --power-limit=<Power Limit Value in W>'), HW Slowdown ('reducing the core clocks by a factor of 2 or more'), HW Thermal Slowdown, and HW Power Brake ('External Power Brake Assertion is triggered (e.g. by the system power supply)'). Documents that --lock-memory-clocks 'does not work on GPUs based on NVIDIA Hopper architectures; to lock memory clocks on those systems use --lock-memory-clocks-deferred instead'. Requires root for all clock and power-limit operations.

Cross-references

This record references no other records.