System-on-Chip

Responsible: Prof.-Dr. Thilo Pionteck

A system-on-chip (SoC) is a design in which all the components of a complex computing system are combined onto a single chip. Examples include SoCs in smartphones, which integrate multiple CPU cores, graphics units, AI engines, memory, and modems onto a single chip. Designing the on-chip communication network to connect the large number of different system components is a particular challenge in designing such systems. This lecture will introduce various communication architectures, their applications, and their respective advantages and disadvantages. Both classic 2D chips and heterogeneous 3D designs will be discussed.

The lecture will be accompanied by exercises that alternate between theory and practice. For instance, students can use a simulator developed at the chair to investigate different network-on-chip (NoC) architectures for different traffic pattern or perform theoretical analyses of NoCs.

 Content:

• Structure of system-on-chips (SoCs)
• Bus architectures and bus standards
• Network-on-chips (NoCs)
• Optical communication networks
• 3D SoCs

 

Lecture language: Englisch

As of August 1, 2025