The IOHub. An Emerging Pattern for System Connectivity in Chiplet-Based Designs

In chiplet-based design we continue the march of Moore’s Law by scaling what we can put in a semiconductor package beyond the boundaries of what we can build on a single die. This style is already gaining traction in AI applications, high performance computing, and automotive, each of which aims to scale out to highly integrated systems meeting performance, power, cost, and reliability goals. The technology challenge then is to build effective communications infrastructure between those chiplets.

UCIe is mentioned frequently as the standard for connectivity between chiplets. That standard is important, but is only the bottom layer of the communication stack. In the modern era of networks-on-chip (NoCs), modern networks must also handle packetized communication, congestion, and quality of service, within chiplets and between chiplets. This prompts a deeper dive into Arteris’ recently announced collaboration with AMD, in which FlexGen smart NoC IP cooperates with AMD’s Infinity Fabric. Commercial and proprietary network co-existence has arrived.

To read the full article, click here