Fighting Dark Silicon: Toward Realizing Efficient Thermal-Aware 3-D Stacked Multiprocessors

This paper investigates the challenges of dark silicon that impede the performance and reliability of 3-D stacked multiprocessors. It presents a multipronged approach toward addressing the thermal issues arising from high-density integration in die stacks, spanning architectural techniques, design methodologies, and runtime temperature management. Importantly, this paper provides novel insights into the causes of hotspot formation in 3-D ICs and details a practical approach toward exploring and mitigating performance-limiting thermal behavior early in the system design flow.