Scaling Out Chip Interconnect Networks with Implicit Sequence Numbers

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Jung, Giyong, Gorgin, Saeid, Kim, John, Kim, Jungrae
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866908431344992256
author Jung, Giyong
Gorgin, Saeid
Kim, John
Kim, Jungrae
author_facet Jung, Giyong
Gorgin, Saeid
Kim, John
Kim, Jungrae
contents As AI models outpace the capabilities of single processors, interconnects across chips have become a critical enabler for scalable computing. These processors exchange massive amounts of data at cache-line granularity, prompting the adoption of new interconnect protocols like CXL, NVLink, and UALink, designed for high bandwidth and small payloads. However, the increasing transfer rates of these protocols heighten susceptibility to errors. While mechanisms like Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) and Forward Error Correction (FEC) are standard for reliable data transmission, scaling chip interconnects to multi-node configurations introduces new challenges, particularly in managing silently dropped flits in switching devices. This paper introduces Implicit Sequence Number (ISN), a novel mechanism that ensures precise flit drop detection and in-order delivery without adding header overhead. Additionally, we propose Reliability Extended Link (RXL), an extension of CXL that incorporates ISN to support scalable, reliable multi-node interconnects while maintaining compatibility with the existing flit structure. By elevating CRC to a transport-layer mechanism for end-to-end data and sequence integrity, and relying on FEC for link-layer error correction and detection, RXL delivers robust reliability and scalability without compromising bandwidth efficiency.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_01988
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Scaling Out Chip Interconnect Networks with Implicit Sequence Numbers
Jung, Giyong
Gorgin, Saeid
Kim, John
Kim, Jungrae
Networking and Internet Architecture
As AI models outpace the capabilities of single processors, interconnects across chips have become a critical enabler for scalable computing. These processors exchange massive amounts of data at cache-line granularity, prompting the adoption of new interconnect protocols like CXL, NVLink, and UALink, designed for high bandwidth and small payloads. However, the increasing transfer rates of these protocols heighten susceptibility to errors. While mechanisms like Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) and Forward Error Correction (FEC) are standard for reliable data transmission, scaling chip interconnects to multi-node configurations introduces new challenges, particularly in managing silently dropped flits in switching devices. This paper introduces Implicit Sequence Number (ISN), a novel mechanism that ensures precise flit drop detection and in-order delivery without adding header overhead. Additionally, we propose Reliability Extended Link (RXL), an extension of CXL that incorporates ISN to support scalable, reliable multi-node interconnects while maintaining compatibility with the existing flit structure. By elevating CRC to a transport-layer mechanism for end-to-end data and sequence integrity, and relying on FEC for link-layer error correction and detection, RXL delivers robust reliability and scalability without compromising bandwidth efficiency.
title Scaling Out Chip Interconnect Networks with Implicit Sequence Numbers
topic Networking and Internet Architecture
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.01988