Configuring routing in mesh networks
View Patent ↗A plurality of processor tiles are provided, each processor tile including a processor core. An interconnection network interconnects the processor cores and enables transfer of data among the processor cores. An extension network connects input/output ports of the interconnection network to input/output ports of one or more peripheral devices, each input/output port of the interconnection network being associated with one of the processor tiles such that each input/output port of the interconnection network sends input data to the corresponding processor tile and receives output data from the corresponding processor tile. The extension network is configurable such that a mapping between input/output ports of the interconnection network and input/output ports of the one or more peripheral devices is configurable.
1. An apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of processor tiles, each processor tile comprising a processor core;
an interconnection network to interconnect the processor cores and enable transfer of data among the processor cores; and
an extension network to connect input/output ports of the interconnection network to input/output ports of one or more peripheral devices, each input/output port of the interconnection network being associated with one of the processor tiles such that each input/output port of the interconnection network sends input data to the associated processor tile and receives output data from the associated processor tile,
the extension network being configurable such that a mapping between input/output ports of the interconnection network and input/output ports of the one or more peripheral devices is configurable, and the extension network connecting a first portion of the input/output ports of one of the peripheral devices to a first portion of input/output ports of the interconnection network that are associated with processor tiles that are physically positioned closer to the peripheral device, and the extension network connecting a second portion of the input/output ports of the peripheral device to input/output ports of the interconnection network that are associated with processor tiles that are physically positioned farther away from the peripheral device.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the mapping between input/output ports of the interconnection network and input/output ports of the one or more peripheral devices is configurable by software.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising the one or more peripheral devices, in which each peripheral device and a portion of the extension network are defined using a hardware macro, and the same hardware macro is used to define at least two peripheral devices and their corresponding portions of the extension network.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising network switches to enable several peripheral devices to be connected through the extension network.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the peripheral devices comprise a memory controller.
6. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the interconnection network comprises N dimensions, N being an integer.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the interconnection network comprises a mesh network.
8. An apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of processor cores;
an interconnection network to interconnect the processor cores and enable transfer of data among the processor cores; and
an extension network to connect input/output ports of the interconnection network to input/output ports of one or more peripheral devices, each input/output port of the interconnection network being associated with one of the processor cores such that each input/output port of the interconnection network sends input data to the associated processor core and receives output data from the associated processor core,
the extension network being configurable such that a mapping between input/output ports of the interconnection network and input/output ports of the one or more peripheral devices is configurable; and
the one or more peripheral devices, in which each peripheral device and a portion of the extension network are defined using a hardware macro, and the same hardware macro is used to define at least two peripheral devices and their corresponding portions of the extension network.
9. An apparatus, comprising:
a two-dimensional array of processor tiles, each processor tile comprising a processor core;
a two-dimensional mesh network to interconnect the processor cores and enable transfer of data among the processor cores; and
an extension network to connect input/output (I/O) ports of the mesh network to I/O ports of at least a first peripheral device and a second peripheral device, the I/O ports of the mesh network being associated with a row or a column of the processor tiles at an edge of the array of processor tiles such that each I/O port sends input data to the corresponding processor tile and receives output data from the corresponding processor tile;
wherein the first peripheral device is located closer to a first half of the processor tiles, the second peripheral device is located closer to a second half of the processor tiles,
the extension network connects some I/O ports of the first peripheral device to I/O ports of the mesh network that are associated with processor tiles in the first half of the processor tiles,
the extension network connects some I/O ports of the first peripheral device to I/O ports of the mesh network that are associated with processor tiles in the second half of the processor tiles,
the extension network connects some I/O ports of the second peripheral device to I/O ports of the mesh network that are associated with processor tiles in the first half of the processor tiles, and
the extension network connects some I/O ports of the second peripheral device to I/O ports of the mesh network that are associated with processor tiles in the second half of the processor tiles.