SHF: Medium: Collaborative Research: Machine Learning Enabled Network-on-Chip Architectures Optimized for Energy, Performance and Reliability

George Washington University, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

Network-on-Chip (NoC) architectures have emerged as the prevailing on-chip communication fabric for multicores and Chip Multiprocessors (CMPs). However, as NoC architectures are scaled, they face serious challenges. A key challenge in addressing optimized NoC architecture design today is the plethora of performance enhancing, energy efficient and fault tolerant techniques available to NoC designers and the large design space that must be navigated to simultaneously reduce power, improve reliability, increase performance and maintain QoS. This research proposes a new cross-layer, cross-cutting methodology spanning circuits, architectures, machine learning algorithms, and applications, aimed at designing energy-efficient, reliable and scalable NoCs. This research will result in (1) novel cross-layer design techniques that take a holistic approach of simultaneously reducing power consumption, while still achieving reliability and performance goals for NoCs, (2) a fundamental understanding of the use of hardware-amenable ML for NoC design optimization, (3) software and hardware techniques for monitoring and collecting critical data and key design parameters during network execution to optimize NoC design, and (4) modeling and simulation tools that will improve the architecture community?s design methodologies for evaluating scalable NoCs. The proposed research bridges a very important gap between hardware architects who design power management and fault tolerant techniques at the circuit and architecture level and machine learning scientists who develop predictive and optimization techniques. Due to its cross-cutting nature, the proposed research has the potential to significantly transform the design of next-generation CMPs and System-on-Chips (SoCs) where complex decisions have to be made that affect the power, performance and reliability. The research will also play a major role in education by integrating discovery with teaching and training. The PIs are committed and will continue to expand on outreach activities as part of the proposed project by making the necessary efforts to attract and train minority students in this field.