Split Communications Fabric for Power Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Communications fabrics in system-on-a-chip designs, such as those in mobile devices, face challenges in reducing power consumption due to the need to transmit both control and data packets through multiple hops, which increases energy usage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a split communications fabric topology where control packets and data packets follow separate paths within a hierarchical structure, allowing control packets to arbitrate and route data packets directly to buffers, thereby reducing the need for data packets to traverse multiple hops.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If data packets are transmitted through multiple hops via the fabric structure, then routing and arbitration can be performed, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric structure is segmented into control packet paths and data packet paths. Control packets traverse the hierarchical fabric structure through multiple fabric units for arbitration and routing, while data packets are routed directly to buffers without traversing intermediate fabric units, thereby reducing energy consumption for data transmission while maintaining routing capability.
2Device complexity
If control packets and data packets follow the same path, then simplified fabric structure is maintained, but energy efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric structure is divided into separate transmission paths for control packets and data packets. Control packets follow the traditional hierarchical path through fabric units, while data packets follow a direct path to buffers, creating a segmented architecture that improves energy efficiency without significantly increasing overall structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Buffers serve as intermediary components that receive data packets directly from processing elements and store them until control packets arrive to retrieve them. This intermediary mechanism allows data packets to bypass the fabric structure entirely, reducing energy consumption while maintaining proper data delivery through the control packet retrieval process.
3Use of energy by moving object
If data packets are stored in buffers instead of transmitted through fabric, then power consumption is reduced, but retrieval coordination is required
Solution Approach 1:
Data packets are preliminarily stored in buffers before control packets arrive to retrieve them. This preliminary action allows data to be positioned in advance at the destination buffer, eliminating the need for energy-intensive transmission through the fabric structure when the control packet arrives, while the retrieval coordination is handled by the buffer's existing retrieval logic.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed relating to a split communications fabric topology. In some embodiments, an apparatus includes a communications fabric structure with multiple fabric units. The fabric units may be configured to arbitrate among control packets of different messages. In some embodiments, a processing element is configured to generate a message that includes a control packet and one or more data packets. In some embodiments, the processing element is configured to transmit the control packet to a destination processing element (e.g., a memory controller) via the communications fabric structure and transmit the data packets to a data buffer. In some embodiments, the destination processing element is configured to retrieve the data packets from the data buffer in response to receiving the control packet via the hierarchical fabric structure. In these embodiments, bypassing the fabric structure for data packets may reduce power consumption.