Basic concepts on on-chip networks

Abstract

As the number of cores integrated into a System-on-Chip increases, the role played by the communication system becomes more and more important. The Network-on-Chip design paradigm is today recognised as the most viable communication infrastructure to deal with the scalability issues which characterise the ultra-deep sub-micron silicon era. In this chapter, some of the most important concepts in the context of on-chip networks will be reviewed. Basic concepts including, network topologies, switching techniques, and routing algorithms will be recalled. Such topics represent the conceptual bases exploited by the strategies, the mechanisms, and the methodologies discussed in the subsequent chapters.