Hybrid wireless network on chip: A new paradigm in multi-core design

The performance benefits of conventional network-on-chip (NoC) architectures are limited by the high latency and energy dissipation in long distance multihop communication between embedded cores. This limitation of conventional NoC architectures can be addressed by introducing long-range, high bandwidth and low power wireless links between the distant cores. Using miniaturized on-chip antennas as an enabling technology, wireless NoCs (WiNoCs) can be designed. In this paper, we elaborate the design principles of a hybrid WiNoC. It is demonstrated that a WiNoC outperforms its wireline counterpart and the performance gain is more significant for larger system size.