Title :
Exploiting capacitance in high-performance computer systems
Author :
Chow, Alex ; Hopkins, David ; Drost, Robert ; Ho, Ron
Author_Institution :
Sun Microsyst. Labs., Menlo Park, CA
Abstract :
Aggressive scaling of transistor feature sizes has enabled unprecedented levels of integration and corresponding performance improvements in VLSI systems. However, fabrication costs present barriers to continued growth in transistor density. Proximity Communication breaks these barriers by providing high-density, high-bandwidth, low-power, and scalable off-chip I/O, allowing designers to partition their designs into separate chips with significantly reduced performance penalties. This partitioning greatly improves chip and package yield, and enables modular assemblies of heterogeneous systems with customizable mixes of functional units tailored for specific end-user applications.
Keywords :
VLSI; microcomputers; VLSI systems; aggressive scaling; capacitance exploitation; fabrication cost; heterogeneous systems; high-performance computer systems; performance improvements; proximity communication; transistor density; transistor feature size scaling; Bandwidth; Capacitance; Clocks; Costs; High performance computing; Microprocessors; Moore´s Law; Power generation economics; System performance; Wires;
Conference_Titel :
VLSI Design, Automation and Test, 2008. VLSI-DAT 2008. IEEE International Symposium on
Conference_Location :
Hsinchu
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1616-5
Electronic_ISBN :
978-1-4244-1617-2
DOI :
10.1109/VDAT.2008.4542411