Network-on-Chip Broadcast Adapters for Parallel Transactions
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current systems-on-chips (SoCs) with network-on-chips (NoCs) require sequential transmission of identical transactions to multiple slaves, limiting the rate at which identical requests can be sent, as they use unicast protocols and sequential addressing, which is inefficient for simultaneous multi-slave transactions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing broadcast adapters (BAs) in the NoC to broadcast transactions using a special range of addresses, allowing simultaneous transmission to multiple slaves, with the ability to perform functions like data transformation and response aggregation before sending back to the master.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If sequential unicast transmission is used to send identical transactions to multiple slaves, then protocol compatibility and addressing simplicity are maintained, but transmission time increases linearly with the number of slaves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the transaction transmission process by introducing broadcast adapters (BAs) that receive a single transaction and segment it into multiple copies, each sent to different slaves simultaneously. This segmentation enables parallel transmission paths, reducing the total time to send identical transactions to multiple slaves from sequential to concurrent operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The broadcast adapter acts as an intermediary component between the master and multiple slaves. It receives a single transaction from the master, duplicates it, and distributes copies to multiple slaves simultaneously. This intermediary enables the transition from unicast to efficient broadcast transmission without requiring changes to the master or slave designs.
2Productivity
If broadcast adapters are introduced to enable simultaneous transaction transmission, then transmission efficiency and parallel processing capability are improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The broadcast adapter is designed as a universal component that can handle multiple functions: receiving transactions, duplicating them, routing to multiple destinations, and aggregating responses. This multi-functionality consolidates what would otherwise require multiple separate components, managing complexity while enabling efficient broadcast operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The broadcast adapter creates copies of the incoming transaction and distributes them to multiple slaves simultaneously. This copying mechanism enables parallel transmission without requiring the master to send multiple separate transactions, achieving high transaction rates while keeping the master design simple.
3Device complexity
If special address ranges are used for broadcast operations, then broadcast functionality is enabled with minimal hardware changes, but address space utilization is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the address parameter by designating specific address ranges (e.g., 0x80000000 to 0xFFFFFFFF) for broadcast operations. This parameter change enables the NoC to distinguish between unicast and broadcast transactions based on the destination address, allowing broadcast functionality to be enabled through address selection rather than hardware modification.
Data Source
AI summary
A broadcast adapter in a network-on-chip (NoC) is used for broadcasting transactions in the form of packets from an initiator to multiple targets and for receiving responses from the targets that are combined and sent to the initiator. The transactions originate from an initiator and are send, using the NoC, to broadcast adapters using a special range of addresses. The broadcast adapters receive the transactions from the initiator. The broadcast adapters duplicate the transactions and send the duplicated transaction to multiple targets. The targets send a response, which is transported back by the NoC to the corresponding initiator.