A Framework for 2.5D NoC Exploration Using Homogeneous Networks over Heterogeneous Floorplans

In this paper, we propose a new 2.5D NoC architecture that uses a homogeneous network on one layer on top of a heterogeneous floorplanning layer. The purpose of this approach is to exploit the benefits of compact heterogeneous floorplans and regular mesh networks through an automated design space exploration procedure. A design methodology consisting of floorplanning and router assignment in a specifically designed tool that integrates a cycle accurate NoC simulator is implemented and used to investigate the new architecture. We use this tool to compute the flit latency and compare it to a conventional 2D implementation. The separation of cores and network on two different layers offers additional area that we use to improve the network performance by searching for the optimal buffers size, number of virtual channels or mesh size. Experimental results are application specific with potential significant performance improvements for some testcases.