Embedded Multi-Die Interconnect Bridge for High Bandwidth Processor Communication
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
As integrated circuit fabrication advances, increasing functionality on a single silicon substrate leads to higher heat generation and power consumption, limiting device efficiency, longevity, and usage models, particularly for battery-powered devices, and current graphics processing systems face challenges in achieving high bandwidth connections between processor dies.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a high bandwidth connection between processor dies using an embedded multi-die interconnect bridge, which enables efficient communication and resource allocation for graphics processing workloads, and integrating multiple graphics processing units (GPUs) on a semiconductor package with a central processing unit (CPU) for enhanced performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If additional functionality is integrated onto a single silicon substrate, then device capability increases, but heat generation and power consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the processor into multiple separate dies (e.g., CPU die, GPU die, AI die) that are physically separated but interconnected through a high-bandwidth interconnect. This segmentation allows each die to be optimized for specific functions while reducing the overall power consumption and heat generation compared to a single monolithic substrate, as each die can operate independently at optimal power levels.
2Adaptability or versatility
If additional components are added to a single IC chip, then functionality increases, but heat generation increases causing thermal damage
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the processor into multiple dies, the patent reduces the component density on any single substrate, thereby reducing heat generation per die. The thermal load is distributed across multiple separate packages with individual heat management, preventing the thermal accumulation that would occur in a single high-density IC chip.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a high-bandwidth interconnect as an intermediary between separate processor dies, enabling communication without requiring direct physical integration on a single hot substrate. This intermediary approach allows functional integration while maintaining physical separation for thermal management.
3Adaptability or versatility
If more signal switching is implemented to increase functionality, then device capability improves, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the processing functions into specialized dies (CPU, GPU, AI), allowing each segment to handle specific signal switching tasks efficiently. This reduces the total signal switching required within each die compared to a monolithic design where all functions share the same substrate, thereby reducing overall power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The high-bandwidth interconnect serves as a universal communication medium that enables efficient data transfer between different processor dies. This multi-functional interconnect reduces the need for dedicated signal switching paths between each component, consolidating communication traffic and reducing overall power consumption.
4Productivity
If high bandwidth connection between processor dies is implemented, then communication efficiency improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple communication functions into a unified high-bandwidth interconnect architecture that handles data transfer between CPU, GPU, and AI dies. By combining these communication paths into a single integrated interconnect system, the patent achieves high bandwidth efficiency while managing complexity through consolidation rather than proliferation of separate communication channels.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatus relating to techniques for avoiding cache lookup for cold cache. In an example, an apparatus comprises logic, at least partially comprising hardware logic, to receive a completion acknowledgment from the plurality of graphics processing units and in response to a determination that the workload is finished, to terminate one or more communication connections on the interconnect bridge. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.