An arbitration look-ahead scheme for reducing end-to-end latency in networks on chip

With the increasing complexity of system-on-chips, networks on chip (NoC) using multi-hop switching require low end-to-end latency for QoS guarantees. An arbitration look-ahead scheme is proposed to reduce the end-to-end packet latency in the NoC. Its packet arbitration at each switch is completed a few cycles in advance of the packet arrival. As a result, a packet bypasses the switch without the latency of input queuing and arbitration. This scheme is analyzed on a 4×4 mesh topology. A maximum 65% and average 26% latency reduction are obtained under random traffic. Latency reduction up to 36% is achieved under multimedia traffic.