Transcript System on a Chip (SoC) - University of Calgary

System on a Chip (SoC)
An Overview
David Cheung
Christopher Shannon
Presentation Overview
What is a SoC?
 Implementation Options
 Design
 Advantages
 Disadvantages
 TigerSHARC
 Future of SoCs

• Tolapai example
What is a SoC?
Necessary components of a
computer system embedded on a
single silicon die.
 SiP – System in a Package : multiple
die in a single package.
 SoP – System on a Package :
multiple layers of discrete
components


A typical SoC will contain:
• A processor
• Onboard execution memory (SRAM)
• Peripheral systems & interfaces
connected to the processing core via a
SoC bus
• Many microcontrollers may contain
FLASH memory for program storage
How is a SoC implemented?
ASIC – Application Specific IC, very
integrated, yet very expensive
 FPGA – Cheaper to implement, field
reprogrammable
 Programmable Devices – Off the
shelf devices, quick to program,
cheap.

SoC Design:
IP hardware blocks and software blocks
developed in parallel
 Hardware in CAD
 Software in development environment
 Emulated and verified on FPGA
 Place and Route, created in silicon

SoC Advantages
Decreased power consumption
 Increased reliability
 Smaller board space
 Can be cheaper when using ready to
go components

SoC Disadvantages
Extremely high design cost (for the
actual chip)
 Large silicon space may be required
 Component testing may be difficult
 Prototyping may take longer
 Intellectual property (IP) issues

TigerSHARC

TigerSHARC contains several SoC
components:
• Execution memory
• Processing Core
• Peripheral interface:
Link ports
 EBIU port
 JTAG port
 Ext. flags, timers, DMA, etc

Where are SoCs Headed?
More tightly integrates SoCs will
result in smaller electronic products
that use less power, are faster, and
more reliable
 Nano scale robots for fighting human
diseases, curing diseases.

Intel Tolapai
The XScale replacement is not a pure
processor, but rather a tightly
integrated SoC
 Does away with many supporting
chips (North, South bridges as found
in typical systems)
 Aimed at mobile devices market
(PDAs, cell phones, etc)

ADSP-BF561 Dual Core Blackfin SoC
Dallas DS80C Network Microcontroller