In a world where high-performance computing and artificial intelligence are becoming not only necessary, but commonplace, new systems are needed to keep up with the increasingly heavy bandwidth requirements.

Chiplet-based systems are gaining exponential traction as a solution to these demands. However, because of multi-folded challenges, there is still much to be learned before chiplet-based systems, especially their die-die-to communication technologies, receive mainstream adoption.

Georgia Tech School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) third-year Ph.D. student, Srujan Penta won the Intel Outstanding Student Paper Award at the IEEE 74th Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) in Denver for his research on the performance-cost tradeoff of chiplet-based systems in 2D packaging technology.

“Just being able to present our work to so many bright minds at the conference and network with them was an enriching opportunity in my Ph.D. journey,” Penta said. “It is a cherry-on-top to receive the IEEE 74th ECTC Intel Outstanding Student Paper Award for this work.”

This paper demonstrated a parallel interface in a standard 2D package, as a cost-optimized alternative to the traditional chiplet interface and packaging architecture pairings, while providing moderate power and beachfront efficiency.

Penta designed interfaces in compliance with the Universal Chiplet Interconnect Express (UCIe), which is quickly becoming an industry standard.

He tested the interfaces for technical specifications of insertion loss and crosstalk, checking his findings against data from 3D EM simulations. At the same time, he evaluated 2D chiplet systems from a cost-based perspective against 2.5D systems to achieve a more complete understanding of the financial and technical trade-offs.

The research was completed in collaboration with Marvell Semiconductors, Inc. Penta was also aided by his advisor, ECE Professor and 3D Systems Packaging Research Center Director Muhannad Bakir.

Many of the world leaders in the semiconductor industry and academia come to ECTC each year.

Penta pursed a minor in Technology Innovation (TI:GER) from the Scheller School of Business. He was also named as one of the fifty global 2024 QUAD Fellows by the Institute of International Education (IIE). As part of the fellowship, he was invited to the White house and the U.S. State Department in Oct. 2024 to represent his home country, India.

Beyond his academic pursuits, he mentors students through the Office of Graduate Education at Georgia Tech and volunteers with the Out in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (oSTEM) organization as a member of the Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) team.