Hybrid silicon-photonic network-on-chip for future generations of high-performance many-core systems
JOURNAL OF SUPERCOMPUTING
Authors: Ben Ahmed, Achraf; Ben Abdallah, Abderazek
Abstract
Photonic networks-on-chip (PNoCs) promise significant advantages over their electronic counterparts. In particular, they offer a potentially disruptive technology solution with fundamentally low power dissipation that remains independent of capacity while providing ultra-high throughput and minimal access latency. In conventional hybrid-PNoC systems, several electrical control functions, such as path setup, acknowledgment and Tear-down are necessary for the end-to-end optical transfer. However, the circuit-switched nature of photonic interconnect directly affects the performance and power characteristics of on-chip communication. In this paper, we propose an energy-efficient and high-throughput hybrid silicon-photonic network-on-chip, named PHENIC, targeted for future generations of high-performance many-core systems. PHENIC is based on a smart contention-aware path-configuration algorithm and an energy-efficient non-blocking optical switch to further exploit the low energy proprieties of the PNoC systems. Through detailed simulation, we demonstrate that the proposed system has a better performance and low energy dissipation compared to conventional hybrid-PNoCs.
The 125 MW Upper Mahiao geothermal power plant - Largest geothermal steam/binary combined cycle plant starts-up
GEOTHERMAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE PACIFIC RIM
Authors: Forte, N
Abstract
The 125 MW Upper Mahiao power plant, the first geothermal power project be financed under Build-Own-Operate-and-Transfer (BOOT) arrangement in the Philippines, expected to complete its start-up testing in August of this year (1996). This plant uses Ormat's environmentally benign technology and is both the largest geothermal steam/binary combined cycle plant as well as the largest geothermal power plant utilizing air cooled condensers. The Ormat designed and constructed plant was developed under a fast track program, with some two years from the April 1994 contract signing through design, engineering, construction and start-up. The plant is owned and operated by a subsidiary of CalEnergy Co., Inc. and supplies power to PNOC-Energy Development Corporation for the National Power Corporation (Napocor) national power grid in the Philippines.