Designing Standard Topologies

Abstract

The NoC topology defines the interconnection of the different network switches with the cores and among each other. The NoC topologies can be broadly classified into two main categories: standard and application-specific custom topologies. In the standard topologies, the interconnection structure ensures full connectivity between the cores: that is, any core is reachable from any other core. Examples of such topologies include mesh, torus, hypercube, Clos, and butterfly. In an application-specific custom topology, the interconnection between the switches and cores are optimized to match the application traffic patterns. If an application does not require full connectivity between the cores, then the topology is optimized to provide only the required connectivity.