Agilex™ 7 M-Series FPGA Network-on-Chip (NoC) User Guide

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ID 768844
Date 1/27/2025
Public
Document Table of Contents
Document Table of Contents x
Answers to Top FAQs 1. Network-on-Chip (NoC) Overview 2. Hard Memory NoC in Agilex™ 7 M-Series FPGAs 3. NoC Design Flow in Quartus® Prime Pro Edition 4. NoC Real-time Performance Monitoring 5. Simulating NoC Designs 6. NoC Power Estimation 7. Hard Memory NoC IP Reference 8. Document Revision History of Agilex™ 7 M-Series FPGA Network-on-Chip (NoC) User Guide
1. Network-on-Chip (NoC) Overview x
1.1. Introduction to Agilex™ 7 M-Series FPGAs 1.2. Terminology for Intel Agilex® 7 M-Series FPGAs 1.3. General NoC Architecture and Applications
1.3. General NoC Architecture and Applications x
1.3.1. General NoC Architecture 1.3.2. Example NoC Applications
1.3.2. Example NoC Applications x
1.3.2.1. Parallel Computing NoC Application 1.3.2.2. SmartNIC NoC Application
2. Hard Memory NoC in Agilex™ 7 M-Series FPGAs x
2.1. High-Level Architecture 2.2. NoC Segments 2.3. NoC Switch and Link Detail 2.4. Fabric NoC 2.5. NoC Protocol Support 2.6. NoC Design Considerations
2.2. NoC Segments x
2.2.1. UIB Segments 2.2.2. GPIO-B Segments 2.2.3. GPIO-B and HPS Segment 2.2.4. SDM Segment 2.2.5. PLL and SSM Segment
2.5. NoC Protocol Support x
2.5.1. AXI4 Protocol Support 2.5.2. AXI4 Handshaking Support 2.5.3. Quality of Service (QoS) Support 2.5.4. Transaction Ordering Support 2.5.5. AXI4-Lite Protocol Support
2.6. NoC Design Considerations x
2.6.1. Determining the Number of NoC Targets 2.6.2. Determining the Number of NoC Initiators 2.6.3. Fabric NoC Considerations 2.6.4. Latency Considerations 2.6.5. Initiator and Target Bandwidth Considerations 2.6.6. Horizontal Bandwidth Considerations 2.6.7. Options for Managing NoC Bandwidth Using AXI4 QoS to Manage NoC Bandwidth Using Bandwidth Limiter to Manage NoC Bandwidth Using Transaction Limiter to Manage NoC Bandwidth 2.6.8. GPIO-B Bypass Mode and Initiators
3. NoC Design Flow in Quartus® Prime Pro Edition x
3.1. Hard Memory NoC Design Flow Overview 3.2. Using NoC Example Designs 3.3. NoC Building Blocks 3.4. Connecting NoC IP 3.5. Making NoC Logical Assignments 3.6. Making NoC Physical Assignments Using Interface Planner 3.7. Compiling the NoC Design
3.1. Hard Memory NoC Design Flow Overview x
3.1.1. NoC Design Flow Options
3.3. NoC Building Blocks x
3.3.1. NoC Initiators for Hard Processor Systems 3.3.2. NoC Targets for Hard Processor Systems 3.3.3. NoC Initiators for Fabric AXI4 Managers 3.3.4. NoC Targets for Fabric AXI4 Managers 3.3.5. NoC Clock Control
3.4. Connecting NoC IP x
3.4.1. General NoC IP Connectivity Guidelines 3.4.2. Connectivity Guidelines: NoC Initiators for Fabric AXI4 Managers 3.4.3. Connectivity Guidelines: NoC Targets for Fabric AXI4 Managers 3.4.4. Connectivity Guidelines: NoC Clock Control 3.4.5. Connectivity Guidelines: NoC Initiators for HPS 3.4.6. Connectivity Guidelines: NoC Targets for HPS
3.4.1. General NoC IP Connectivity Guidelines x
3.4.1.1. Connecting NoC IP and Assigning Base Addresses in the Platform Designer Connection Flow 3.4.1.2. Connecting NoC IP and Assigning Base Addresses in the NoC Assignment Editor Connection Flow
3.5. Making NoC Logical Assignments x
3.5.1. Creating NoC Assignments for Compilation 3.5.2. Using the NoC Assignment Editor 3.5.3. Troubleshooting NoC Assignment Editor 3.5.4. NoC Connection and Addressing Examples
3.5.2. Using the NoC Assignment Editor x
3.5.2.1. Step 1: Make Group Assignments in the NoC Assignment Editor 3.5.2.2. Step 2: Make Connection Assignments in the NoC Assignment Editor 3.5.2.3. Step 3: Make Attribute Assignments in the NoC Assignment Editor 3.5.2.4. Step 4: Validate Logical NoC Assignments and Generate Simulation File
3.5.4. NoC Connection and Addressing Examples x
3.5.4.1. Example 1: External Memory Interface with 1 AXI4 Initiator and 1 AXI4-Lite Initiator 3.5.4.2. Example 2: Two External Memory Interfaces with One AXI4 Initiator and One AXI4-Lite Initiator 3.5.4.3. Example 3: One External Memory Interfaces with Two AXI4 Initiators and One AXI4-Lite Initiator 3.5.4.4. Example 4: Two High-Bandwidth Memory Pseudo-Channels with Two AXI4 Initiators (Crossbar) and Shared AXI4-Lite Initiator 3.5.4.5. Example 5: Hard Processor System with Two External Memory Interfaces
3.5.4.1. Example 1: External Memory Interface with 1 AXI4 Initiator and 1 AXI4-Lite Initiator x
3.5.4.1.1. Example 1: Platform Designer Connection Flow 3.5.4.1.2. Example 1: NoC Assignment Editor Connection Flow
3.5.4.2. Example 2: Two External Memory Interfaces with One AXI4 Initiator and One AXI4-Lite Initiator x
3.5.4.2.1. Example 2: Platform Designer Connection Flow 3.5.4.2.2. Example 2: NoC Assignment Editor Connection Flow
3.5.4.3. Example 3: One External Memory Interfaces with Two AXI4 Initiators and One AXI4-Lite Initiator x
3.5.4.3.1. Example 3: Platform Designer Connection Flow 3.5.4.3.2. Example 3: NoC Assignment Editor Connection Flow
3.5.4.4. Example 4: Two High-Bandwidth Memory Pseudo-Channels with Two AXI4 Initiators (Crossbar) and Shared AXI4-Lite Initiator x
3.5.4.4.1. Example 4: Platform Designer Connection Flow 3.5.4.4.2. Example 4: NoC Assignment Editor Connection Flow
3.5.4.5. Example 5: Hard Processor System with Two External Memory Interfaces x
3.5.4.5.1. Example 5: Platform Designer Connection Flow 3.5.4.5.2. Example 5: NoC Assignment Editor Connection Flow
3.6. Making NoC Physical Assignments Using Interface Planner x
3.6.1. Using Interface Planner 3.6.2. Recommended Placement Order for NoC Elements in Interface Planner 3.6.3. Hard Memory NoC Locations in Interface Planner 3.6.4. NoC Performance Reports in Interface Planner
3.7. Compiling the NoC Design x
3.7.1. Fitter NoC Reports 3.7.2. Viewing NoC Elements in Chip Planner
5. Simulating NoC Designs x
5.1. Using the Abstract NoC Simulation Model 5.2. Using the Accurate NoC Simulation Model
5.1. Using the Abstract NoC Simulation Model x
5.1.1. Generating the Abstract Simulation Include File (Platform Designer Connection Flow) 5.1.2. Generating the Abstract Simulation Include File (NoC Assignment Editor Connection Flow) 5.1.3. Using the Abstract Simulation Include File
5.2. Using the Accurate NoC Simulation Model x
5.2.1. Generating the Accurate Simulation Include File 5.2.2. Using the Accurate Simulation Include File
6. NoC Power Estimation x
6.1. Using the Intel FPGA PTC to Estimate NoC Power
7. Hard Memory NoC IP Reference x
7.1. NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP 7.2. NoC Clock Control Intel FPGA IP
7.1. NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP x
7.1.1. NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP Parameters 7.1.2. NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP Interfaces
7.1.2. NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP Interfaces x
7.1.2.1. NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP AXI4/AXI4-Lite Interfaces 7.1.2.2. NoC Initiator AXI4 User Interface Signals 7.1.2.3. NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP AXI4-Lite User Interface Signals 7.1.2.4. NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP Clock and Reset Signals 7.1.2.5. NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP Platform Designer-Only Signals
7.2. NoC Clock Control Intel FPGA IP x
7.2.1. NoC Clock Control Intel FPGA IP Parameters 7.2.2. NoC Clock Control Intel FPGA IP Interfaces 7.2.3. NoC Clock Control Intel FPGA IP Platform Designer-only Signals
Answers to Top FAQs
1. Network-on-Chip (NoC) Overview
2. Hard Memory NoC in Agilex™ 7 M-Series FPGAs
3. NoC Design Flow in Quartus® Prime Pro Edition
4. NoC Real-time Performance Monitoring
5. Simulating NoC Designs
6. NoC Power Estimation
7. Hard Memory NoC IP Reference
8. Document Revision History of Agilex™ 7 M-Series FPGA Network-on-Chip (NoC) User Guide

2.6.7. Options for Managing NoC Bandwidth

The hard memory NoC in Agilex™ 7 M-Series FPGAs provides the following options for managing NoC bandwidth usage:

  • AXI4 QoS settings
  • Bandwidth limiter
  • Transaction limiter

Using AXI4 QoS to Manage NoC Bandwidth

Managing NoC bandwidth usage using AXI4 QoS settings is the default method that is typically suitable for most applications. You can set the priority for each read or write transaction individually by driving the appropriate value on the arqos or awqos signals. Alternatively, you can configure the NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP to use a fixed QoS value for all read transactions. You can configure an independent fixed QoS value for all write transactions. For guidance on how QoS settings correspond to NoC traffic priority, refer to Quality of Service (QoS) Support.

Using Bandwidth Limiter to Manage NoC Bandwidth

The bandwidth limiter provides an alternative method to manage NoC bandwidth. Using the bandwidth limiter requires that you configure the NoC initiator to disable the AXI4 QoS settings. The bandwidth limiter then throttles the bandwidth the initiator uses to a specified percentage of its normal maximum bandwidth. Settings are available in 5% increments from 40% to 100%, with 100% corresponding to no limiting.

The bandwidth limiter is useful if the target (high-bandwidth memory or external memory) has a lower throughput than the initiator. You can use the bandwidth limiter to match the initiator and target bandwidth, which can help reduce congestion on the NoC. Refer to the High Bandwidth Memory (HBM2E) Interface Intel Agilex 7 M-Series FPGA IP User Guide or the External Memory Interfaces Intel Agilex 7 M-Series FPGA IP User Guide for details on the available bandwidths of these targets.

The bandwidth limiter is also useful in balancing or prioritizing traffic on one of the NoC links. For example, if after optimizing initiator placement, initiators towards the center of the horizontal NoC are consuming more bandwidth than the initiators towards the left or right edges, the bandwidth limiter can balance the bandwidth usage by throttling the bandwidth of the center initiators.

Using Transaction Limiter to Manage NoC Bandwidth

The transaction limiter limits the number of outstanding read or write transactions in the initiator. You can set read transaction limits and write transaction limits independently. You can set the initiator read transaction limit from 1 to 128, where 128 is the default value. You can set the initiator write transaction limit from 1 to 64, where 64 is the default value. You can configure the transaction limiter according to how many pending transactions your logic can support.

For information on configuring the NoC Initiator Intel FPGA IP to use AXI4 QoS settings or to use the bandwidth or transaction limiters, refer to NoC Initiators for Fabric AXI4 Managers

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