EngineeringComputer EngineeringElectrical EngineeringComputer ArchitectureInterconnection NetworksSystem-on-chip DesignIntegrated Circuit DesignInterconnect DesignInterconnect TechnologyNetwork ArchitectureNetwork-on-chip DesignRoutingArea Overhead AnalysisHigh PerformanceModular DesignNetwork-on-chipNetwork-on-chip ArchitecturesOn-chip CommunicationOn-chip InterconnectsOn-chip Networks
Using on-chip interconnection networks in place of ad-hoc glo-bal wiring structures the top level wires on a chip and facilitates modular design. With this approach, system modules (processors, memories, peripherals, etc...) communicate by sending packets to one another over the network. The structured network wiring gives well-controlled electrical parameters that eliminate timing iterations and enable the use of high-performance circuits to reduce latency and increase bandwidth. The area overhead required to implement an on-chip network is modest, we estimate 6.6%. This paper introduces the concept of on-chip networks, sketches a simple network, and discusses some challenges in the architecture and design of these networks.
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