The economics of active versus passive substrate MCMs for the cost-effective implementation of massively parallel processors

This paper presents the key features of a cost-modelling framework devised for passive substrate MCMs and describes the extension of the framework for active-substrate MCMs. A case study is described, comprising a processing node for a Modular Massively Parallel Computer (Modular-MPC), incorporating 4096 fine-grain processing elements. A comparison is made between a passive-substrate MCM and a functionally identical active-substrate MCM implementation, detailing the characteristics and methodologies associated with both variants. The natural regularity of the architecture enables an active-substrate solution, with dynamic electronic reconfiguration combined with simple discretionary assembly. The cost study shows that under certain circumstances, the active-substrate MCM solution offers a favourable and cost-effective solution.