A scalable architecture for LDPC decoding

Low density parity check (LDPC) codes offer excellent error correcting performance. However, current implementations are not capable of achieving the performance required by next generation storage and telecom applications. Extrapolation of many of those designs is not possible because of routing congestions. This article proposes a new architecture, based on a redefinition of a lesser-known LDPC decoding algorithm. As random LDPC codes are the most powerful, we abstain from making simplifying assumptions about the LDPC code which could ease the routing problem. We avoid the routing congestion problem by going for multiple independent sequential decoding machines, each decoding separate received codewords. In this serial approach the required amount of memory must be multiplied by the large number of machines. Our key contribution is a check node centric reformulation of the algorithm which gives huge memory reduction and which thus makes the serial approach possible.