The HCN: a versatile interconnection network based on cubes

This paper introduces a family of interconnection networks for loosely-coupled multiprocessors called Hierarchical Cubic Networks (HCNs). HCNs use the well-known hypercube network as their basic building block. Using a considerably lower number of links per node, HCNs realize lower network diameters than the hypercube. The performance of several well-known applications on a hypothetical system employing the HCN is identical to their performance on a hypercube. HCNs thus enjoy the same advantages as a hypercube, albeit with considerably simpler interconnections.