The McPAT Framework for Multicore and Manycore Architectures: Simultaneously Modeling Power, Area, and Timing

This article introduces McPAT, an integrated power, area, and timing modeling framework that supports comprehensive design space exploration for multicore and manycore processor configurations ranging from 90nm to 22nm and beyond. At microarchitectural level, McPAT includes models for the fundamental components of a complete chip multiprocessor, including in-order and out-of-order processor cores, networks-on-chip, shared caches, and integrated system components such as memory controllers and Ethernet controllers. At circuit level, McPAT supports detailed modeling of critical-path timing, area, and power. At technology level, McPAT models timing, area, and power for the device types forecast in the ITRS roadmap. McPAT has a flexible XML interface to facilitate its use with many performance simulators. Combined with a performance simulator, McPAT enables architects to accurately quantify the cost of new ideas and assess trade-offs of different architectures using new metrics such as Energy-Delay-Area2 Product (EDA2P) and Energy-Delay-Area Product (EDAP). This article explores the interconnect options of future manycore processors by varying the degree of clustering over generations of process technologies. Clustering will bring interesting trade-offs between area and performance because the interconnects needed to group cores into clusters incur area overhead, but many applications can make good use of them due to synergies from cache sharing. Combining power, area, and timing results of McPAT with performance simulation of PARSEC benchmarks for manycore designs at the 22nm technology shows that 8-core clustering gives the best energy-delay product, whereas when die area is taken into account, 4-core clustering gives the best EDA2P and EDAP.