ATSim: A Fast and Accurate Simulation Framework for 2.5D/3D Chiplet Thermal Design Optimization

By Qipan Wang 1,2, Tianxiang Zhu 1, Jiajia Cui 1, Yicheng Wei 1, Linxiao Shen 1, Zhe Cheng 1, Runsheng Wang 1,3,4, Ru Huang 1,3,4, Yibo Lin 1,3,4
1 School of Integrated Circuits, Peking University 
2 Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University
3 Institute of Electronic Design Automation, Peking University, Wuxi, China
4 Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Integrated Circuits, Beijing, China

Abstract

This paper reviews the thermal challenges in 2.5D/3D chiplet integration systems and introduces ATSim, a simulation framework with applications to chiplet thermal optimization. ATSim enables fast and accurate thermal simulation for both steady-state and transient conditions. It supports nonlinear, heterogeneous, and anisotropic materials. The framework features a multilevel grid generation scheme based on a novel hybrid tree structure. Compared to mainstream academic and commercial tools, ATSim achieves high accuracy and efficiency, making it a powerful tool for evaluating and improving thermal designs, including applications like thermal-aware placement.

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