Shifting the Network-on-Chip Paradigm Towards a Software Defined Network Architecture

In the Many-Core era, parallel processing performance is generally limited by the communications infrastructure's adaptability to the applications data dependencies. By means of a management framework, Software Defined Network (SDN) architectures offer such adaptability for conventional computer networks. However, Networks-on-Chip (NoC) management subsystems have been implemented as specific solutions unable to be reused in further designs. In this paper we applied SDN principles to propose a Software Defined NoC (SDNoC) architecture. This architecture is focused in abstraction layers and interfaces that permit its deployment in a modular fashion. Our proposal will orchestrate the complex multi-objective optimization to adjust on-chip networking to the applications requirements and data dependencies. This architecture allows the addition of other optimization engines without changing the software or hardware contained in underlying planes, then, Non Recurring Engineering costs can be diminished Index Terms Networks-on-Chip, Software Defined Networks, Architecture, Many-Core.