Universal wavelength reuse mechanism for optical networks-on-chip based on a cooperative game

Optical networks-on-chip (ONoCs) based on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) technology have lower end-to-end (ETE) delay, larger bandwidth, and higher throughput than NoCs. However, the utilization and parallelism of individual wavelengths are essential since WDM technology would require more optical devices to be integrated with ONoCs, leading to higher on-chip overhead. In this paper, we propose an optimal model of communication node cooperation based on game theory, in which the loss of the optical signal on the transmission path for a specific optical receiver sensitivity establishes the payoff function of each participant. In this cooperative game model, the communication nodes are regarded as the participants of the cooperative game. By analyzing the principle of optical router port occupation, the coordinate-based coalition assignment algorithm is proposed to implement fast construction of coalitions and reach the Nash equilibrium of the cooperative game. In Nash equilibrium, the utilization and parallelism of individual wavelengths are higher, and the network’s performance is optimized and improved. Cooperative-game-based ONoCs have more significant throughput and lower ETE delay. The optical signal loss and minimum output power of the optical transmitter can be further reduced at a given optical receiver sensitivity. By applying the cooperative game to ONoCs, the network’s optimization effect becomes more evident as the network scale increases and the number of communication nodes grows.