PlasticNet+

Extending multi-FPGA interconnect architecture via Gigabit transceivers

Conference paper (2021)

Authors

Carlos Salazar-Garcia Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica
Ronny Garcia-Ramirez Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica
Renato Rímolo-Donadío Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica
C. Strydis Erasmus MC
Alfonso Chacon-Rodriguez Instituto Tecnologico de Costa Rica
Affiliation
External organisation
HLS Custom FPGA networks AXI4 Inter-FPGA communication Interconnect architecture Multi-FPGA distributed processing
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Published Date

2021

Language

English

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Affiliation

External organisation

Abstract

This paper addresses the communication challenges posed in multi-FPGA systems, by improving a custom FPGA interconnect architecture via the high-speed transceivers available in modern FPGA development boards. The proposed network interconnection, built upon the PlasticNet architecture, is evaluated using the high-speed serial transceiver in Zynq ZC706 FPGA boards. Results show a best-case latency of only 300 ns, demonstrating equivalent results in terms of latency on a par with the known BlueLink framework, but with the plus of having total re-configurability across the different layers of its network interconnection model. This makes the current proposal a competitive option for the development of distributed, heterogeneous multi-FPGA processing systems.