A processing unit includes a plurality of components configured to execute instructions and a controller. The controller is configured to determine a power consumption of the processing unit, determine a waiting status of the processing unit based on waiting statuses of components, and selectively modify an operating state of the processing unit based on the waiting status and the power consumption of the processing unit. In some cases, the operating state is modified in response to a percentage of the components that are waiting for an action to complete being below a threshold percentage and the power consumption of the processing unit being below a power limit. In some cases, the controller identifies a pattern in the power consumption by the processing unit and modifies the operating state of the processing unit to increase the power consumption of the processing unit based on the pattern identified by the controller.