Globally Asynchronous, Locally Synchronous Clocks


Typical IC clocking schemes are under stress in complex chip/chiplet designs, where multiple compute elements may not be operating at the same frequency consistently. Some cores may be powered down to save energy, or they may age at different rates, which in turn reduces performance. Lee Vick, vice president of strategic marketing at Movellus, explains why locally asynchronous clocking schemes ... » read more

Is There Any Hope For Asynchronous Design?


In an era when power has become a fundamental design constraint, questions persist about whether asynchronous logic has a role to play. It is a design style said to have significant benefits and yet has never resulted in more than a few experiments. Synchronous design utilizes a clock, where the clock frequency is set by the longest and slowest path in the design. That includes potential var... » read more

Implementation Of An Asynchronous Bundled-Data Router For A GALS NoC In The Context Of A VSoC


Designs of asynchronous networks-on-chip are of growing interest because a complete asynchronous implemen- tation can solve the synchronization problems of large networks. However, asynchronous circuits suffer from the lack of proper design flows because their functionality often relies on timing constraints, which are not extensively supported by common CAD synthesis tools. This paper proposes... » read more

Partitioning For Power


Examine any smartphone design today and most of the electronic circuitry is "off" most of the time. And regardless of how many processor cores are available, it's rare to use more than a couple of those cores at any point in time. The emphasis is shifting, though, as the mobility market flattens and other markets such as driver-assisted vehicles and IoT begin gaining traction. In a car, turn... » read more