A layout-aware analysis of networks-on-chip and traditional interconnects for MPSoCs

The ever-shrinking lithographic technologies available to chip designers enable performance and functionality breakthroughs; yet, they bring new hard problems. For example, multiprocessor systems-on-chip featuring several processing elements can be conceived, but efficiently interconnecting them while keeping the design complexity manageable is a challenge. Traditional buses are easy to deploy,. but cannot provide enough bandwidth for such complex systems. A departure from legacy architectures is therefore called for. One radical path is represented by packet-switching networks-on-chip, whereas a more conservative approach interleaves bandwidth-rich components (e.g., crossbars) within the preexisting fabrics. This paper is aimed at analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of these alternative approaches by performing a thorough analysis based on actual chip floorplans after the interconnection place&route stages and after a clock tree has been distributed across the layout. Performance, area, and power results will be discussed while keeping an eye on the scalability prospects in future technology nodes.