Methods and apparatus for communicating low-latency word category over multi-lane link

摘要

One embodiment relates to an integrated circuit configured to communicate a low-latency word category over a multi-lane link. A transmitter controller is configured to transmit words belonging to the low-latency word category only over a designated lane of the multi-lane link and to transmit words belonging to non-low-latency word categories over any available lane of the multi-lane link. A receiver controller may be configured to determine a word category of a word received over the designated lane and, if the word category is determined to be the low-latency word category, then read the word from the designated lane before lane-to-lane deskew is completed. Other embodiments, aspects, and features of the invention are also disclosed.

主权项

1. An integrated circuit configured to communicate a low-latency word category over a bi-directional multi-lane link, the integrated circuit comprising:
a transmitter that transmits a first plurality of words over the multi-lane link to a receiver of another integrated circuit; a transmitter controller that sends words of the first plurality of words that belong to the low-latency word category only over a designated lane of the multi-lane link and stripes words of the first plurality of words that belong to non-low-latency word categories over next available lanes of the multi-lane link; a receiver that receives a second plurality of words over the multi-lane link from a transmitter of the other integrated circuit; and a receiver controller that
determines a word category of a word in the second plurality of words,responsive to a determination that the word is of the low-latency word category, reads the word from the designated lane before lane-to-lane deskew is completed, andresponsive to a determination that the word is of a non-low-latency word category, reads the word received from the designated lane after lane-to-lane deskew is completed.