Designing power-efficient Networks-on-Chips (NoCs) for 3D ICs has
emerged as a promising solution for complex mobile and portable
applications. The total power consumption of a 3D NoC design depends on the
allocation of the Intellectual properties (IPs) to the different network
routers and the number of Through Silicon Vias (TSVs) used in the design.
In this paper, we introduce a new analytical model for the power
consumption of 3D NoCs. This new model relies on graph-theoretic concepts
and incorporates static and dynamic power in order to present a more
accurate evaluation of 3D NoC power consumption. The proposed model
utilizes Dijkstra's algorithm to find shortest path routing. It also
reflects the impact of using TSVs in 3D ICs. Using the proposed model, we
develop a new methodology to select the 3D NoC topology and find the best
IP-mapping. The proposed methodology utilizes a bio-inspired optimization
technique. We compare particle swarm optimization (PSO) to genetic
algorithms (GAs) in order to find the best 3D mesh network mapping that
achieves minimum power consumption. The presented methodology is validated
through two case studies to address symmetric and asymmetric multicore
applications.
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