Chip architecture

Extracted Attributes

• Type

  Integrated Circuit Design

• Design Flow

  Architectural co-design (hardware and software developed simultaneously)

• Key Concept

  System on a Chip (SoC)

• SoC Advantages

  Enhanced power efficiency, simplified device design, lower power consumption, reduced semiconductor die area

• SoC Definition

  An integrated circuit that combines most or all key components of a computer or electronic system onto a single microchip.

• SoC Disadvantages

  Reduced modularity, reduced component replaceability

• SoC Key Components

  Central Processing Unit (CPU) with memory, input/output, data storage control functions, Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) (optional), Wi-Fi connectivity (optional), radio frequency processing (optional)

• SoC Primary Applications

  Mobile computing (smartphones, tablets, smartwatches), edge computing, embedded systems

• Modern CPU Design Aspects

  Incorporates aspects of both Harvard and von Neumann architecture (e.g., split cache)

• Hardware Description Language

  Register Transfer Level (RTL)

• CPU Architectures (within SoCs)

  ARM, x86, MIPS

Timeline

• Google develops proprietary Tensor Processing Units (TPUs) for training advanced AI models like Gemini 3, marking a significant breakthrough and shift in chip architecture for AI. (Source: Related Documents)

  Ongoing

• Huawei is reportedly developing advanced, low-cost AI chips in China, posing a potential long-term competitive risk to established players like Nvidia in the AI hardware market. (Source: Related Documents)

  Ongoing

System on a chip

A system on a chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit that combines most or all key components of a computer or electronic system onto a single microchip. Typically, an SoC includes a central processing unit (CPU) with memory, input/output, and data storage control functions, along with optional features like a graphics processing unit (GPU), Wi-Fi connectivity, and radio frequency processing. This high level of integration minimizes the need for separate, discrete components, thereby enhancing power efficiency and simplifying device design. High-performance SoCs are often paired with dedicated memory, such as LPDDR, and flash storage chips, such as eUFS or eMMC, which may be stacked directly on top of the SoC in a package-on-package (PoP) configuration or placed nearby on the motherboard. Some SoCs also operate alongside specialized chips, such as cellular modems. Fundamentally, SoCs integrate one or more processor cores with critical peripherals. This comprehensive integration is conceptually similar to how a microcontroller is designed, but providing far greater computational power. This unified design delivers lower power consumption and a reduced semiconductor die area compared to traditional multi-chip architectures, though at the cost of reduced modularity and component replaceability. SoCs are ubiquitous in mobile computing, where compact, energy-efficient designs are critical. They power smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches, and are increasingly important in edge computing, where real-time data processing occurs close to the data source. By driving the trend toward tighter integration, SoCs have reshaped modern hardware design, reshaping the design landscape for modern computing devices.

Web Search Results

• System on a chip - Wikipedia

  Networks-on-chip have advantages including destination- and application-specific routing, greater power efficiency and reduced possibility of bus contention. Network-on-chip architectures take inspiration from communication protocols like TCP and the Internet protocol suite for on-chip communication, although they typically have fewer network layers. Optimal network-on-chip network architectures are an ongoing area of much research interest. NoC architectures range from traditional distributed [...] A system on a chip consists of both the hardware, described in § Structure, and the software controlling the microcontroller, microprocessor or digital signal processor cores, peripherals and interfaces. The design flow "Design flow (EDA)") for an SoC aims to develop this hardware and software at the same time, also known as architectural co-design. The design flow must also take into account optimizations (§ Optimization goals) and constraints. [...] Once the architecture of the SoC has been defined, any new hardware elements are written in an abstract hardware description language termed register transfer level (RTL) which defines the circuit behavior, or synthesized into RTL from a high level language through high-level synthesis. These elements are connected together in a hardware description language to create the full SoC design. The logic specified to connect these components and convert between possibly different interfaces provided

• Chip Design , Architecture , & Emerging Devices | Computer Science...

  Research in chip design and architecture at Michigan enables the future of computing hardware. Our researchers focus on innovative processor architectures, energy-efficient design, secure hardware, accelerator technologies, and devices that go beyond traditional silicon. Faculty and students contribute breakthroughs in multi-core and GPU design, custom accelerators (including for AI and machine learning), and next-generation memory and interconnects. [...] Home > Research > Areas of Research > Chip Design, Architecture, & Emerging Devices [...] Resilient architectures to defend against security vulnerabilities and hardware errors Ultra-low-power chip and circuit design for embedded and mobile devices Multi-core architectures featuring 3D IC integration and innovative memory systems CSE Faculty Todd Austin WebsiteMentoring PlanComputer architecture, robust and secure system design, hardware and software verification, and performance analysis tools and techniques. Valeria Bertacco

• 10 Types of Microprocessors + Specifications, Architecture & Evolution

  The architecture of an SoC is designed to incorporate different subsystems onto a single chip. Key components and features include: ##### Microprocessor or CPU Cores SoCs integrate one or multiple CPU cores or microprocessors on the chip. These cores are responsible for executing instructions and performing general-purpose computing tasks. They can be based on different architectures, such as ARM, x86, or MIPS, depending on the intended application and target devices. ##### Memory Subsystem [...] CISC architecture emphasizes instruction richness, allowing complex operations to be executed with a single instruction. Although less common in embedded systems, some specialized applications may still utilize CISC-based embedded processors. #### System-on-a-Chip (SoC) SoC architecture integrates the processor, memory, input/output peripherals, and other system components onto a single chip. SoCs are widely used in embedded systems, enabling compact and highly integrated solutions. [...] A System-on-a-Chip (SoC) is an integrated circuit that combines multiple components and functionalities of a computer system on a single chip. It integrates various hardware components, including microprocessors or CPU cores, memory, input/output interfaces, graphics processing units (GPUs), digital signal processors (DSPs), and other peripherals. SoCs are commonly used in smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, and embedded systems. #### Architecture of SoC

• How ARM Became The World's Default Chip Architecture (with ARM ...

  Rene: Yeah, that's a good way to describe it. Another way to think of a complex instruction set, a complex instruction is, go three steps forward, two steps to your left, diagonally two steps, right three steps. If you can find an operation that benefits from that specialized activity, that's pretty good, but not a lot of programs can. Once a program has been written and relies on that instruction, then by definition, the architecture has to carry that forward. You've got all this heavyweight [...] The idea back then was on a shared success model, which I think again, back to the founders, back to people like Robin Saxby and Tudor Brown, that was really a rather brilliant idea because the notion was pay me an upfront license fee, which is a proxy for R&D. In other words, you're not going to spend the money on the engineers anymore to do the development. The licensing fee will be a proxy for R&D, so it's not an exorbitant fee and more importantly, it's not money you wouldn't be spending [...] Ben: By example, at any given clock cycle, I need to allow for the possibility of doing something complicated like, in this instruction or in this operation, I'm going to go fetch something from memory and load it into a register so that it can be added and I can return the answer all within the same clock cycle. You have extra bandwidth everywhere to accommodate doing complicated things in one simple assembly language live.

• Harvard architecture - Wikipedia

  Modern high performance CPU chip designs incorporate aspects of both Harvard and von Neumann architecture. In particular, the "split cache" version of the modified Harvard architecture is very common. CPU cache memory is divided into an instruction cache and a data cache. Harvard architecture is used as the CPU accesses the cache. In the case of a cache miss, however, the data is retrieved from the main memory, which is not formally divided into separate instruction and data sections, although [...] | Types "Processor (computing)") | Central processing unit (CPU) Graphics processing unit (GPU) + GPGPU Vector Barrel Stream Tile processor Coprocessor PAL ASIC FPGA FPOA CPLD Multi-chip module (MCM) System in a package (SiP) Package on a package (PoP) | | | --- | | By application | Embedded system Microprocessor Microcontroller Mobile Ultra-low-voltage ASIP Soft microprocessor | | Systems on chip | System on a chip (SoC) Multiprocessor (MPSoC) Cypress PSoC [...] Microcontrollers are characterized by having small amounts of program (flash memory) and data (SRAM) memory, and take advantage of the Harvard architecture to speed processing by concurrent instruction and data. The separate storage means the program and data memories may feature different bit widths, for example using 16-bit-wide instructions and 8-bit-wide data. They also mean that instruction prefetch can be performed in parallel with other activities. Examples include the PIC by Microchip