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Volume 1, Issue 1, ICCK Transactions on Circuits and Systems
Volume 1, Issue 1, 2025
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ICCK Transactions on Circuits and Systems, Volume 1, Issue 1, 2025: 1-10

Free to Read | Research Article | 28 August 2025
Behavior-Level Simulator For Heterogeneous Neural Network Chips
1 School of Integrated Circuits (School of Information Science and Electronic Engineering) , Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
* Corresponding Author: Liangshun Wu, [email protected]
Received: 16 June 2025, Accepted: 11 July 2025, Published: 28 August 2025  
Abstract
With the increasing complexity of neural network models, the Network-on-Chip (NoC) has become a critical communication backbone in heterogeneous computing architectures. However, existing NoC simulation tools often fall short in supporting diverse computational units such as matrix processors and RISC-V programmable cores, limiting their ability to meet the stringent demands of real-time performance, high throughput, and energy efficiency in large-scale AI workloads. To overcome these limitations, this paper presents a behavior-level NoC simulation framework tailored for heterogeneous computing environments. The framework features precise node-level modeling, a dynamic pipelining mechanism, a hybrid routing strategy aware of task characteristics, and a comprehensive visual debugging interface. Experimental evaluations demonstrate that the proposed system outperforms conventional approaches in terms of average latency, throughput, and debugging efficiency, particularly under scenarios involving mixed task streams and hardware faults. The results highlight the framework's robustness and scalability, making it a valuable tool for the design and optimization of next-generation NoC architectures for intelligent computing systems.

Graphical Abstract
Behavior-Level Simulator For Heterogeneous Neural Network Chips

Keywords
heterogeneous computing
network-on-chip
behavioral simulation
dynamic pipelining
hybrid routing
AI acceleration

Data Availability Statement
Data will be made available on request.

Funding
This work was supported in part by the STI 2030-Major Projects under Grant 2022ZD0208700; in part by the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Trustworthy Computing (East China Normal University) under Grant 24Z670103399; in part by the Key Laboratory of Embedded System and Service Computing (Tongji University), Ministry of Education under Grant ESSCKF2024-10, and Key Laboratory of Computational Neuroscience and Brain-Inspired Intelligence (Fudan University), Ministry of Education under Grant 25Z670102051 in part by the Pre-research Fund of the School of Integrated Circuits (School of Information Science and Electronic Engineering), Shanghai Jiao Tong University under Grant JG0340001.

Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Ethical Approval and Consent to Participate
Not applicable.

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Cite This Article
APA Style
Wu, L., & Tao, T. (2025). Behavior-Level Simulator For Heterogeneous Neural Network Chips. ICCK Transactions on Circuits and Systems, 1(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.62762/TCAS.2025.881344

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