Waved Time Multiplexing for Hybrid Network-on-Chip Power Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
As the number of cores in multicore chips increases, the power usage becomes a challenge due to the threshold voltage, making it difficult to further downscale without increasing static power consumption, necessitating improvements in energy efficiency.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a hybrid circuit-switched and packet-switched network-on-chip (NOC) with waved time multiplexing, where nodes request and establish circuit-switched paths, reserve resources for use durations, and release them for packet-switched traffic, optimizing resource allocation and reducing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If the number of cores in multicore chips is increased, then processing power and performance are improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic resource allocation where router resources are not permanently dedicated to circuit-switched paths but are dynamically reserved and released based on traffic demands. The system transitions between circuit-switched and packet-switched modes adaptively, allowing resources to be reallocated from circuit-switched to packet-switched traffic when circuits are inactive, thereby reducing overall power consumption while maintaining processing capability
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs periodic reservation and release of router resources for circuit-switched traffic. Resources are reserved for specific time intervals corresponding to circuit-switched path usage and then released back to the packet-switched domain. This periodic allocation allows the system to maintain circuit-switched capabilities when needed while avoiding continuous resource occupation that would increase power consumption
2Use of energy by moving object
If router resources are reserved for circuit-switched traffic, then energy efficiency is improved, but resource availability for packet-switched traffic is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a dynamic resource sharing mechanism where router resources transition between circuit-switched and packet-switched domains based on real-time traffic conditions. When circuit-switched paths are active, resources are reserved for them; when inactive, resources are released to packet-switched traffic. This dynamic behavior ensures both energy efficiency during circuit usage and resource availability for packet-switched operations
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards (releases) router resources from circuit-switched paths when they are not in use and recovers them for packet-switched traffic. The resource reservation is temporary and conditional, allowing the system to recover resources for alternative uses once the circuit-switched communication is complete, thus maintaining both energy efficiency and resource versatility
Data Source
AI summary
Technologies generally described herein relate to waved time multiplexing. In some examples, a command flit can be transmitted from a sender node of a network-on-chip (“NOC”) to a destination node of the NOC via an intermediate node along a circuit-switched path. The command flit can include an interval period and a release duration. When the command flit has been transmitted, one or more data flits can be transmitted from the sender node to the destination node via the intermediate node along the circuit-switched path. The sender node, the destination node, and the intermediate node can be configured to reserve router resources of the sender node, the destination node, and the intermediate node respectively for circuit-switched traffic during a use duration of the interval period and to release the router resources for packet-switched traffic during the release duration in a waved time multiplex arrangement.