The offset cube: An optoelectronic interconnection network

Abstract

This paper introduces a new network topology, the offset-cube, for three-dimensional image processing systems. It provides general node-to-node communications for random message traffic with an average latency that is comparable to a k-ary 3-cube. It is well suited for communication patterns common in image processing applications (e.g., image scaling, overlapping segmentation). The offset-cube topology provides an extremely compact, through-wafer implementation employing integrated optoelectronic devices. This paper describes work in progress towards the examination of this new topology and its implementation including architectural issues (e.g, oblivious and adaptive minimal routing algorithms, performance analysis with random traffic and trace-driven workloads, comparison with k-ary 3-cubes), plus implementation issues in building a scalable system.