What Is COSMECA?

COSMECA is a proposed change to the methodology of multi-processor system-on-a-chip (MPSoC) design, which was proposed by Sudeep Pasricha and Nikil Dutt of the Center for Embedded Computer Systems at the University of California, Irvine. Their proposal was first published in the 2006 proceedings of the Design, Automation and Test in Europe convention.

Definition of COSMECA

The co-synthesis methodology for memory and communication architectures (COSMECA) is a method of co-synthesizing memory and communication flow in the design of multi-processor system-on-a-chip (MPSoC) designs, a commonly used method of processor design in the manufacture of computer chips.

The purpose of COSMECA

In traditional chip design, memory architecture generally dictates the flow of data and greatly influences the architectural design of communication. This can create inefficiencies in both cost and performance of multi-processor chips. COSMECA is a design methodology that attempts to co-synthesize the memory and communication architectures with the primary objective of removing limitation of memory performance and a secondary objective of removing the aforementioned inefficiencies.

How COSMECA works

COSMECA design attempts to achieve these objectives by minimizing the number of buses in a multi-processor chip. In their proposal, Pasricha and Dutt cite a successful 40 percent reduction in the number of buses used and a 29 percent reduction in area used for memory by using the COSMECA method. While this alone would lead to a dramatic decrease in cost and better performance of chips, they estimated that these numbers could greatly increase in future designs.

While COSMECA design is a relatively new concept, the early successes and the expected future cost savings and increased processing performance make COSMECA a promising development in MPSoC design.