CAREER: Self-Regulating Power-Aware Interconnection Networks

在从PC和服务器到互联网路由器和嵌入式片上系统的许多数字系统中，功率变得越来越重要，甚至比性能更重要。虽然已经有大量的研究探索数字系统的处理和存储器元件的功率效率，但调查通信元件的功耗的研究一直滞后。随着各种数字系统之间的互连日益紧密，探索功耗感知互连网络是一个非常及时和重要的课题。在这份提案中，我们概述了我们的计划，即研究、开发和构建自调节的功耗感知互连网络，在满足设计约束的同时自动权衡功耗和性能。在这些网络中，功率感知路由器和链路机制输出旋钮，通过这些旋钮可以调整网络功率和性能。然后，策略控制这些旋钮，以提供满足设计目标的网络功率性能。自我调节的功耗感知网络减轻了设计人员协调高性能和低功耗这两个高度不同的目标的艰巨任务。在强调和展示网络中功耗感知的重要性时，我们提出的研究从一个新的角度推进了对网络的更深入理解，具有潜在的高影响力。此外，我们看到我们的研究导致电源效率成为网络课程的一个组成部分。

Power is becoming increasingly as important, if not more important than performance in many digital systems ranging from PCs and servers to Internet routers and embedded systems-on-a-chip. While there has been substantial research exploring the power efficiency of the processing and memory elements of digital systems, research investigating the powerconsumption of communication elements has been lagging. As a wide range of digital systems becomes increasingly interconnected, it is nowboth timely and critical to explore power-aware interconnection networks.In this proposal, we outline our plans to research, develop and build self-regulating power-aware interconnection networks that trade off power and performance automatically while meeting design constraints. In these networks, power-aware router and link mechanisms export knobs by which network power and performance can be adjusted. Policies then control these knobs to deliver network power-performance that meet design goals. Self-regulating power-aware networks alleviate designers from the daunting task of reconciling two highly divergent goals -high performance, and low power.In highlighting and demonstrating the importance of power awareness in networks, our proposed research advances a deeper understanding of networks from a fresh perspective, with a potential for high-impact contributions in research. In addition, we see our research leading to power efficiency being an integral part of networking curriculum.