'Network-on-a-chip' : A note on its Genesis

We have been observing the boom of the "e-era", where the number of transistors per unit area and the corresponding speeds is increasing.

At the same time, we have to accept that we're gonna experience a maximum limit of speed with the materials we have now..

But hey, don't disappoint yet, we got a good news for you !

Well, the solution is not the discovery of a new material, but is inspired from the 'reliability' concept of our 'large-world' communication networks..

In short, our networks work like this: They don't want a 100% error-free communication; They use a network of switches and routers, our signals takes many different paths, and experience random losses..

Designers allowed for errors to occur; In turn, they set up error-correcting circuits, that can quickly correct them to a level that we cannot notice their effect.. (it's all about 'reliability' my friend..)

Now, the main problem of our chips is "Interconnects"..

The chips, that have those micro-level circuits(yeah, now they're making it nano-level) are a combination of different circuits that have a set of fixed paths in-between, referred to as the interconnects.

At higher frequencies, transmission line effects and other losses cause the logic level to degrade on its way so that logic 1 reached as logic 0 and vice versa..

If you guessed the solution, you're right..!!

Up to now, the design focus is all about ensuring "perfect communication" among the chips..!

Yeah, so we simply ditch that idea..

Similar to our large-scale systems, we will not "fix" the paths; instead we build a whole network of routers, switches and corresponding error-correction circuits; So, now, can we increase frequency of operation ?

This concept is referred to as "Network-on-a-chip"..

(Are you thinking of increase in size due to this set-up? C'mon, with our nano-scaled devices, the net difference we observe in size would be negligible..)

Thanks for reading, feel at home to express your thoughts on this post, don't forget to let us know in case of any mistakes...

If you also got something exciting to share, do express it in comments so that you can help us reach the 'Eternal Thing'..

Source: Digital Integrated Circuits - A Design Perspective (You can download it here)

Comments

25 and Disappointed: Can’t we choose simple life?

There’s something strange about the way we live now. It’s not enough to do your job. You have to grow. Climb. Upskill. Network. Earn more. Spend more. Repeat. People areound you - even the ones who seem tired - still say, “Keep pushing.” The ones ahead keep reaching higher. The ones behind are told to catch up. And if you stand still for even a moment, they say you’re wasting time. But no one explains why. Why is a peace a problem? Why is being satisfied with what you have seen as a failure? This idea of “simple life” - it used to be normal. Work. Come home. Cook. Be with the people you love. Rest. Now it’s rare. Or romanticized. Or quietly looked down on. We’re told that success means constant movement. That we need to hustle, or we’ll be left behind. But behind what, really? We’ve normalized the rat race, without asking who started it. And the truth is - only a few can actuallly win it. Most people burn out trying. Others fake their way through it, smiling through st...

25 and Disappointed: The tragedy of leaving home

It’s strange, isn’t it? We live in a world with high-speed internet, 5G, instant messages, Zoom calls and flight tickets that can take us across the country in a few hours. The world has never been more connected. And yet… we’re all so far apart. We are becoming disabled in this tech enabled world. People move away from home more than ever. To study. To work. To “build a future.” Yes, it’s needed sometimes. For learning. For exposure. But often… it seems we are allowing it quietly more than required. Maybe it’s just the system forcing us to. All the jobs are in cities. All the money, infrastructure and “opportunities”. Hence we leave. We leave behind warm meals, evening walks with parents, familiar lanes and families that actually feel like festivals. We leave people who raised us - and see them only on phone calls or during a short visit squeezed between deadlines. For what? For a cubicle in a crowded city, A rented flat that never feels like home, Weekends that vanish in chores,...

Bye-bye strict timetables...! - The Bloggers League 2022

Author: Rama Subrahmanyam (ramasubrahmanyam.m@gmail.com) When we are planning for multi-tasking, we divide our time and allocate it for each task. That is a great thing, as it gives a chance for incremental growth, eventually getting compounded... Scheduling makes us punctual; sometimes forces us to be punctual if someone is counting on us, say an examination, office meeting, so on... Besides strict things, some activities should happen at planned times, like sports, gym, etc. But, we still have things, that can be done in our free time - say reading books, solving puzzles, or learning something of our passion. Should we also maintain the timetable in those cases...? Well, may not be that necessary... We get used to a task at the same time if we have a strict timetable; In a way, can also affect our peace... Suppose due to urgent work, we missed a task - We may develop a bad feeling, ...

The Eternal Thing

Search This Blog