A novel dimensionally-decomposed router for on-chip communication in 3D architectures

Much like multi-storey buildings in densely packed metropolises, three-dimensional (3D) chip structures are envisioned as a viable solution to skyrocketing transistor densities and burgeoning die sizes in multi-core architectures. Partitioning a larger die into smaller segments and then stacking them in a 3D fashion can significantly reduce latency and energy consumption. Such benefits emanate from the notion that inter-wafer distances are negligible compared to intra-wafer distances. This attribute substantially reduces global wiring length in 3D chips. The work in this paper integrates the increasingly popular idea of packet-based Networks-on-Chip (NoC) into a 3D setting. While NoCs have been studied extensively in the 2D realm, the microarchitectural ramifications of moving into the third dimension have yet to be fully explored. This paper presents a detailed exploration of inter-strata communication architectures in 3D NoCs. Three design options are investigated; a simple busba...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: ISCA
• Authors: Jongman Kim, Chrysostomos Nicopoulos, Dongkook Park, Reetuparna Das, Yuan Xie, Narayanan Vijaykrishnan, Mazin S. Yousif, Chita R. Das
• Keywords: Cycle-accurate 3d Noc, Hardware, Hybrid 3d Noc/cache, ISCA 2007, Partially-connected 3D Crossbar