Distributed Register Ring Interconnect to Ease SoC Routing Congestion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing system-on-chip (SoC) data communication interconnects face congestion issues in routing signal paths, necessitating a more efficient architecture to reduce congestion and enhance data communication.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a distributed ring-based interconnect system with routers and register rings, featuring unidirectional data paths and interfaces to manage register access requests and responses, utilizing a star network-like topology to extend communication across the SoC while minimizing congestion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a traditional data communication interconnect architecture is used in SoC, then routing congestion occurs in signal paths, but alternative architectures increase device complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The interconnect is segmented into multiple unidirectional ring paths (first ring path, second ring path) that originate from different physical locations in the SoC. This segmentation distributes the routing load across multiple independent paths, preventing congestion in any single path while maintaining manageable complexity through modular ring structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The architecture introduces bidirectional communication capability by creating two opposite-direction ring paths between the same endpoints. This dimensional addition allows data to travel in either direction around the ring, providing alternative routes that eliminate congestion without requiring a complete architectural overhaul.
2Ease of operation
If registers are widely distributed across the SoC to be close to logic circuitry components, then register accessibility is improved, but signal path routing congestion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The distributed register architecture is organized into segments along unidirectional ring paths. Each ring path serves as an independent communication channel that collects registers from different SoC regions, allowing wide distribution of registers while segmenting the routing burden across multiple organized paths rather than requiring all signals to converge through a single routing structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Router nodes serve as intermediaries between distributed registers and the central hub. These routers receive data from locally-associated registers and forward it along the ring paths, mediating the communication between widely distributed registers and preventing direct signal path congestion by introducing intermediate stopping and forwarding points throughout the SoC.
3Productivity
If multiple ring paths are implemented to reduce congestion, then data communication efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple unidirectional ring paths are merged into a unified bidirectional communication system. The first and second ring paths, despite being separate physical structures, function together as a single logical interconnect that provides redundant routing options. This merging approach achieves improved data communication efficiency through parallel paths while managing complexity by presenting a unified interface to initiators and targets.
Solution Approach 2:
The ring path architecture serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides primary data transmission paths, alternative routing when congestion occurs, and scalable expansion capability. Each ring path can independently handle different data streams or serve different regions of the SoC, making the structure universally applicable to various communication scenarios without proportionally increasing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A data communication interconnect or network in a system-on-chip (SoC) may include one or more routers, each coupled to one or more register rings. A router may receive transaction request packets from an initiator and provide transaction response packets to the initiator. Each register ring may have an input end and an output end, providing a unidirectional data communication path for the request and response packets. Each register ring may have one or more nodes, each having one or more registers that may be the targets of write and read transactions associated with the request packets. The input and output ends of register rings may be coupled to ring interfaces of the router, which may provide paths for request packets and response packets.