Scalable Hybrid Wireless Network-on-Chip Architectures for Multicore Systems

TLDR

Multicore SoCs require high‑performance interconnects, and the Network‑on‑Chip paradigm is promising, but future technology nodes demand non‑planar, low‑power solutions beyond conventional metal/dielectric fabrics. This work proposes design methodologies and technology requirements for scalable wireless NoC architectures and evaluates their performance. WiNoCs are realized with miniaturized on‑chip antennas, and their performance is assessed under diverse traffic patterns and benchmarked against other emerging NoC alternatives. WiNoCs achieve higher throughput and lower latency than wired NoCs while reducing energy dissipation by orders of magnitude.

Abstract

Multicore platforms are emerging trends in the design of System-on-Chips (SoCs). Interconnect fabrics for these multicore SoCs play a crucial role in achieving the target performance. The Network-on-Chip (NoC) paradigm has been proposed as a promising solution for designing the interconnect fabric of multicore SoCs. But the performance requirements of NoC infrastructures in future technology nodes cannot be met by relying only on material innovation with traditional scaling. The continuing demand for low-power and high-speed interconnects with technology scaling necessitates looking beyond the conventional planar metal/dielectric-based interconnect infrastructures. Among different possible alternatives, the on-chip wireless communication network is envisioned as a revolutionary methodology, capable of bringing significant performance gains for multicore SoCs. Wireless NoCs (WiNoCs) can be designed by using miniaturized on-chip antennas as an enabling technology. In this paper, we present design methodologies and technology requirements for scalable WiNoC architectures and evaluate their performance. It is demonstrated that WiNoCs outperform their wired counterparts in terms of network throughput and latency, and that energy dissipation improves by orders of magnitude. The performance of the proposed WiNoC is evaluated in presence of various traffic patterns and also compared with other emerging alternative NoCs.