SynFull-RTL: evaluation methodology for RTL NoC designs

Abstract

SynFull is a widely employed tool that generates realistic traffic patterns for the performance evaluation of a NoC. In this work, we identify the main limitations of SynFull: high variability and long simulation time and also that these limitations increase when SynFull is integrated with RTL designs. SynFull-RTL employs a statistical approach, simulating each application macro-phase only once and averaging according to its probability of occurrence and the measured traffic load. SynFull-RTL obtains higher accuracy than the original version and reduced variability, with observed 40× reduction in simulation time and resources. A use-case with ProSMART validates the results.