Wireless network-on-chip: a new era in multi-core chip design

The Network-on-Chip (NoC) is an enabling technology to integrate large numbers of embedded cores on a single die. The existing method of implementing a NoC with planar metal interconnects is deficient due to high latency and significant power consumption arising out of multi-hop links used in data exchange. To address these problems multi-hop wire interconnects in a NoC can be replaced with high-bandwidth single-hop long-range wireless links. This opens up new opportunities for detailed investigations into the design of wireless NoCs (WiNoCs) with on-chip antennas, suitable transceivers and routers. Moreover, as it is an emerging technology, the on-chip wireless links also need to overcome significant challenges pertaining to reliable integration. In this paper we present various challenges and emerging solutions regarding the design of an efficient and reliable WiNoC architecture.