System-level exploration of mesh-based NoC architectures for multimedia applications

This paper explores the design space of mesh-based NoC architectures for multimedia applications. Via the system-level exploration, we intend to address one crucial question: given a multimedia application and node processing throughput, how to determine the optimal size of the mesh and link bandwidth? Equivalently we shall answer another question: given a multimedia application and its mapping to a given-sized mesh, how to optimally dimension the node processing throughput and link bandwidth? Based on the process models of an application, we analyze the computation and communication demand when mapping the application onto a circuit-switched mesh NoC. We also propose a simulation approach to verify our analysis and further explore the system-level design decisions. Experiments and a case study on a multiview video coding application validate our approach.