Comparing monolithic and hybrid WSI massively parallel processing modules for cost-effective real-time signal and data processing

It is demonstrated that wafer-scale-integration associative string processor (WSI ASP) module components offer a 150-800 times improvement in TOPS (tera operations per second)/ft/sup 3/, a 13 times improvement in GOPS (giga operations per second)/W and a 14-44 times improvement in MOPS (mega operations per second)/$ over VLSI components. For all three figures-of-merit monolithic-WSI ASP modules have an advantage over hybrid WSI ASP modules. In addition, the inherent defect-tolerance in the manufacture of monolithic-WSI ASP modules offers fault-tolerance in service, which the hybrid-WSI ASP could only match with an increase in chip size and cost. Lastly, and significantly for the future, the precisely regular layout of monolithic-WSI ASP wafers renders them excellent candidates for highly-compact 3-D packaging techniques, offering significant improvements in TOPS/ft/sup 3/ which could not be achieved with hybrid-WSI.<
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