Optimized mapping algorithm to extend lifetime of both NoC and cores in many-core system

Fast aging of components has become one of the major concerns in Systems-on-Chip with further scaling of the submicron technology, which is accelerated when the working conditions are improper, such as unbalanced components’ utilization. Moreover, in the process of the applications of mapping algorithm, the imbalance of component utilization is more likely to occur. The reason is that the mapping algorithm in the Network-on-Chip (NoC) domain may frequently select some routers/links for mapping while others are underutilized. Consequently, the highly utilized components may age faster than others that results in disconnecting the related cores from the network. To solve this problem, we have proposed a lifetime-aware mapping algorithm named LBC + LBL, which has simultaneously taken the aging of core and link into account when applying the mapping. In this paper, the lifetime is modeled as a resource consumed over time and a lifetime budget metric is accordingly defined. A suitable node, which has the maximum lifetime budget, is selected for mapping. Experimental results show that the proposed lifetime-aware mapping algorithm (LBC + LBL) could improve the minimal mean time to failure (MTTF) of NoC about 15.1%, compared with the mapping algorithm only considering the aging of cores.