Today, integrated circuits and multi-chip modules used in
computers rely almost exclusively on hard-wired electrical
conductors to transmit information from one point to another.
Unfortunately, as geometry’s for these microcircuits
continues to decrease, coupled with the ever increasing need for
larger numbers of I/O’s, traditional hard-wired interconnect
approaches for computers or other large-scale electronic systems,
are rapidly approaching fundamental limits, that could ultimately
impede future system performance enhancements.
Furthermore, and perhaps of greatest importance for computer
systems employing multiple CPU's, is the speed and flexibility
with which information is shared between CPU’s. Clearly as
the density of wired interconnects increases, so too does the
difficulty in maintaining signal integrity and timing alignment
between multiple CPU’s. In addition, data communication
channels that are physically hard-wired cannot be easily
re-configured or re-routed. This inability to dynamically
re-configure the system data channels, to re-direct data to/from
inactive and/ or waiting processors, can significantly impact
overall system performance and efficiency.
The WINARS program seeks to establish a new interconnect
paradigm for high speed digital communications between multiple
CPU’s, through the use of wireless mm-wave data channels. To
this end, the government has recently embarked on an ambitious
program to develop a multi-processor system, based on mm-wave
wireless interconnects, whereby data can be shared between
processors in true parallel fashion (i.e., broadcast mode), and
where data paths (between different CPU’s) can be dynamically
reconfigured.
