Collaborative Research: Energy Aware Millimeter Wireless Data Communications in Multicore Systems

本研究的目的是为多核处理器开发高效的毫米波片对片数据通信。该方法是开发用于数据传输的小型CMOS兼容天线。该项目涉及设计、分析和测量硅片上的毫米波天线以及片上通信的接口电子器件。这包括电磁建模、电路仿真和原型测量。将创建特殊天线，以确保用于数据传输的天线与附近用于处理的CMOS电路之间的交互最小。该项目的智力优势在于其在多核计算机集成电路之间高速数据传输的创新方法。在100核以上的处理器中，物理连接非常复杂，严重限制了性能。在处理器之上使用空中接口是一种高效数据通信的新概念。高效率的片上多天线阵列将实现可编程的直接处理器到处理器的通信。天线连接将提高数据速率，节省电力，并消耗极小的面积。这项研究更广泛的影响包括潜在的全新计算机架构，使世界上最大的问题能够快速计算，例如恶劣天气预报的预测模型。研究结果将用于大学1年级工学课程的课题和小学示范。集成在乐高头脑风暴机器人上的小型低调天线将被制造出来，这样机器人就可以相互无线通信。这个实践项目的创建有望改善工程专业学生的招聘和保留。

The objective of this research is to develop efficient millimeter-wave chip-to-chip data communications for multicore processors. The approach is to develop small CMOS compatible antennas for data transfers. The project involves design, analysis, and measurement of millimeter wave antennas on silicon and the interface electronics for on-chip communications. This includes electromagnetic modeling, circuit simulation and measurement on prototypes. Special antennas will be created to ensure minimal interaction between the antennas used for data transfers and the nearby CMOS circuitry used for processing. The project's intellectual merits lie in its innovative approach to high-speed data transfers between integrated circuits in multicore computers. In processors with upwards of 100 cores, physical connections are complex and severely restrict performance. The use of the air-interface above the processors is a new concept for efficient data communications. High efficiency on-chip multi-antenna arrays will enable programmable direct processor-to-processor communications. The antenna links will increase data rates, conserve power, and consume an extremely small area. The broader impacts of this research include potentially completely new computer architectures that enable fast computation of the world's largest problems, such as predictive models for severe weather forecasting. The research results will be used for a project for freshman college engineering courses and for elementary school demonstrations. Small low-profile antennas integrated onto Lego Mindstorms robots will be created so that the robots can communicate to one another wirelessly. Creation of this hands-on project is expected to improve recruitment and retention of a diversity of students in engineering.