SoC Implementation of Multimedia Applications using Network-on-Chip

2021 COE Engineering Design Project (GK08)

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Faculty Lab Coordinator

Gul Khan

Topic Category

FPGAs and Reconfigurable Computing

Preamble

NoC (Network-on-Chip) interconnects have transpired in response to the performance limitations and overhead of bus-based systems in Multi-Processor System-on-Chip (SoC) architectures. NoCs replace the buses with routers and links, where packets communicate simultaneously between on-chip cores to improve overall system performance. A traditional way to alleviate contention in NoC systems is to use virtual channel (VC). In conventional VC method, a physical channel supports several virtual channels that are multiplexed across the physical channel. Virtual channels are also used to improve message latency and throughput as well help to avoid deadlock. By allowing messages to share a physical channel, messages can make progress rather than remain blocked, leading to high performance on-chip communication. NoC router is the main IP core that facilitate the implementation of an NoC based SoC for Multimedia applications. For rapid NoC implementation various NoC simulators are being employed. In this project NOXIM NoC simulator will be employed to configure an NoC based SoC for implementing multimedia applications including edge detection, object recognition, filtering, and image enhancement.

Objective

Investigate, design, and simulate an NoC based System-on- Chip (SoC) to implement a Multimedia application such as edge detection, JPEG 2000, filtering, or image enhancement.

Partial Specifications

1. Study of NoC (Network-on-Chip) systems employed in SoCs.
2. Investigate and study NoC simulators such as NOXIM.
3. Selection of a typical multimedia application, such as edge detection, JPEG 2000, filtering, or image enhancement for implementation.
4. Develop and simulate a suitable 2D Mesh NoC to implement a multimedia application.
5. Parallel implementation of the selected multimedia application.
5. Verify and prototype a multi-core NoC system simulator employing soft CPU cores and other accelerator for multimedia application.

Suggested Approach

1. Study and investigate various NoC simulators for developing embedded NoC systems.
2. Explore various on-chip routing techniques and network routers suitable for 2D mesh NoC systems.
3. Selection of a typical multimedia application, such as edge detection, JPEG 2000, filtering, and image enhancement for implementation.
4. Parallel implementation of the selected multimedia application using C++, OpenCL or SystemC type language.
5. Prototyping 2D-mesh NoC using an NoC simulator such as NOXIM.
6. Implementation of the selected multimedia application for the NoC designed and simulated in step 5.

Group Responsibilities

1. Study programming model as well as embedded platform suitable to implement some typical multimedia applications.
2. Investigate the results of the development being carried out by various groups working on NoC simulation such as NOXIM.
3. Develop a detailed specification of a 2D-NoC for SoC based application.
4. Design, develop, simulate, and prototype the NoC router for 2D mesh NoC using NOXIM or other NoC simulators.
5. Verify the simulated 2D-NoC by implementing a small multimedia filtering application.
6. Choose a candidate multimedia application such as edge detection, JPEG 2000, filtering, and image enhancement for NoC based implementation.
6. Implement a suitable size 2D NoC and verify its working for the selected Multimedia Application.

Student A Responsibilities

1. Study some candidate NoC-based embedded SoC to implement a multimedia application.
2. Investigate and study various NoC simulators such as NOXIM to prototype a 2D NoC.
3. Design and write the NoC specification in a suitable language (such as C++ or SystemC).
4. Develop, simulate, and prototype a 2D NoC using NOXIM or any other NoC simulator by working with Student B.
5. Assist Student B, C and D and manage the overall project design and implementation.

Student B Responsibilities

1. Study some candidate NoC-based embedded SoC to implement a multimedia application.
2. Investigate and study various NoC simulators such as NOXIM to prototype a 2D NoC.
3. Improve the NoC specification (prepared by student A).
3. Overall design and simulation of an NoC system by employing the NoC simulator for the selected multimedia application with the help of student C.
4. Assist Student A, C and D to manage the overall project design and implementation.

Student C Responsibilities

1. Study programming model as well as embedded platform suitable to implement some typical multimedia applications.
2. Improve the 2D NoC specification (prepared by student A and B).
3. Support student A and B in the overall design and simulation of a 2D NoC system.
4. Overall design and simulation of an NoC system by employing the NoC simulator for the selected multimedia application with the help of student A, B and D.
5. Assist Student A, B and D to manage the overall project design and implementation.

Student D Responsibilities

1. Study and select some candidate multimedia applications for NoC based SoC implementation.
2. Study some multi-core embedded platforms available for multimedia applications.
3. Employ the simulated 2D NoC to establish communication between various routers in the NoC.
4. Design and establish communication in-between (source and destination) cores for multimedia application.
3. Support student A, B and C in the overall design and simulation of a 2D NoC system.
4. Overall design and simulation of the NoC system for the selected multimedia application with the help of student A, B and C.
5. Assist Student A, B and C to manage the overall project design and implementation.

Course Co-requisites

COE718, COE838

To ALL EDP Students

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, in the event University is not open for in-class/in-lab activities during the Winter term, your EDP topic specifications, requirements, implementations, and assessment methods will be adjusted by your FLCs at their discretion.