Asynchronous design tools

As mentioned above, the commercial EDA tool like DC cannot capture the timing path between each asynchronous pipeline because of the lack of a global clock in the asynchronous circuits, making delay matching for each pipeline challenging. To avoid inserting the delay lines manually, we adopt the ADM method, with which all the timing paths in the asynchronous pipelines can be captured by DC so that the length of delay lines to be inserted between Click elements can be calculated.

In this way, the delay lines to be inserted in each pipeline are adaptive to its corresponding combinational logic, which saves unnecessary delay lines and power of the circuits as a result. With the ADM method, accurate static timing analysis on the asynchronous circuits can be performed by PrimeTime to ensure the correct timing of asynchronous circuits. LeNet-5 is implemented on our accelerator, and the chip test platform is shown in Fig.

Figure 13 illustrates the waveforms of the request and the fire signals from the test chip. The matched delay lines determine the time intervals of the fire signals.

The synchronous CNN accelerator chip has the same architecture with the asynchronous one and only differs in that the asynchronous circuits adopt a Click-based pipeline when designing the CA. The area and performance comparison of the two chips is shown in Table 2 , from which we can see that the area of the asynchronous accelerator is almost the same as that of the synchronous one because the area of Click elements only accounts for 1.

The peak performance of the asynchronous accelerator is The number of clock tree buffers of the asynchronous accelerator is , which is T Table 2 Test results of asynchronous and synchronous accelerators chips.

To analyze further the power of CA in the synchronous and asynchronous accelerators, we test the chips in two modes. One is the standby mode, in which the clock is turned on, and the circuits wait for the enable signal to perform computation.

Therefore, in the standby mode, the tested power consists of static power and clock power for both chips. In the working mode, the tested power of the synchronous accelerator power is composed of static power and dynamic power, including the clock power and dynamic power of the combinational logic in CA. In addition, the dynamic power of the Click element should be considered when calculating the dynamic power of the asynchronous accelerator.

According to the tested static power, standby power, and working power, the power of CA can be calculated roughly based on the proportion of the area of CA to the total area of the chip and the proportion of the number of clock buffers in CA to the total number of clock buffers. The comparison of power consumption between asynchronous and synchronous CAs is illustrated in Fig. Figure 14 shows that the asynchronous CA saves 3. The static power of the asynchronous CA 1.

Therefore, when the clock power accounts for a high percentage of the total power and the control circuits are complex with clock gating in some applications, asynchronous circuits are a promising alternative to design low-power circuits with a significant reduction in dynamic power consumption.

Data in Fig. The performance of the asynchronous accelerator can achieve We also propose a design flow to adopt a commercial EDA tool for asynchronous circuit design. This work proves that asynchronous circuits are an alternative to design low-power and high-energy-efficiency circuits. Our proposed design flow for asynchronous circuits is also verified.

Future works will include ultra-low-power-asynchronous circuits for the SNN accelerator, which is a biologically plausible neuronal model that uses sparse spikes to transmit information. The sparsity of spikes and the event-driven characteristics of asynchronous circuits allow the realization of ultra-low-power and high-energy-efficiency SNN accelerators.

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Close Save. Open Access Issue Online published: 20 April Download citation. EndNote RIS. PDF 2 MB. Abstract Full text References About this article. Full text. References Figures Tables 2.

Table 1. Table 2. About this article. Abstract Convolutional Neural Networks CNNs are widely used in computer vision, natural language processing, and so on, which generally require low power and high efficiency in real applications.

Keywords: Convolutional Neural Network CNN accelerator, asynchronous circuit, energy efficiency, adaptive delay matching, asynchronous design flow. Asynchronous Synchronous Area mm 2 1. References 17 [1]. The con of brainstorming tools is that they may cause confusion as a result of trying to brainstorm ideas simultaneously, which can create an overwhelming amount of information and duplication of ideas.

You can find a more in-depth list of collaborative brainstorming tools in this section of our remote collaboration tools article. Audio and video tools are a key component of an effective asynchronous team. Use them to create custom virtual events or experiences for target audiences to promote a product or service. These types of tools are especially useful for conferences, marketing events, or general meetings with a large audience, like a company-wide all-hands meeting.

Streaming tools serve as an alternative to in-person meetings, conferences, or events, which is especially important in this modern, work-from-home environment in which getting people together physically may not be an option. These tools can also be hard to use and complex to set up, so do a trial of any streaming service before implementing it into your organization. Blogs , also referred to as weblogs , are online forums or journals where people can post ideas, thoughts, feedback, or general commentary on specific topics.

They also serve as a way to collaborate and share ideas with others via comments and replies. Social media is an effective method for creating and publishing new content in different channels, like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and more. These tools provide an easy way to analyze and report on how specific posts and campaigns perform over others.

Create a social media calendar and develop a post schedule or cadence for each channel. Surveys and polls capture information from external sources, identify trends, engage your audience, and collect helpful feedback.

You can also use them to gauge employee and customer satisfaction and conduct market research to make product and service improvements. The con of using surveys and polls is that it will usually cost more to access more advanced capabilities, like survey logic and data exports.

A wiki is a web-based tool that allows people to work on projects together, collaborate on ideas, and share images, media, and other resources. The tool ultimately creates a resource constructed by many contributors and thought leaders.

Asynchronous communication refers to communication that is not immediately received or responded to by the involved parties. Synchronous communication refers to discussions that occur in a real-time, face-to-face setting, and is the more traditional form of interaction. Meetings and phone calls are the most common examples of asynchronous communication. Asynchronous communication began with pictographs and was further developed with the invention of written language. Response times were dependent on the distances between where a message was created and where it was delivered.

With the postal system, the internet, and cloud technology, asynchronous communication has gained popularity. Recently, more organizations and individuals have adopted asynchronous communication, as workforces become more remote and physical distances become a challenge for organizations to overcome.

Asynchronous learning , which is used by various universities, colleges, and corporations, is a form of education in which the instruction and learning occur in different places, at different times. Asynchronous learning uses many of the same asynchronous tools as remote teams, but these organizations want to enable specific learning and educational opportunities and use tools like chat rooms, discussion boards, and messaging apps.

Asynchronous learning engages students and peers with digital collaboration so they can study, collaborate, and share ideas together without the traditional synchronous communication that occurs in a classroom.

The downside of asynchronous learning is that in larger classes, the instructor is less able to interact with students, which leads to a less intimate learning experience.

Additionally, students may become overwhelmed by too many people using these tools and messaging back and forth regularly, so a balance of asynchronous and synchronous communication may be necessary.

Empower your people to go above and beyond with a flexible platform designed to match the needs of your team — and adapt as those needs change. The Smartsheet platform makes it easy to plan, capture, manage, and report on work from anywhere, helping your team be more effective and get more done.

Report on key metrics and get real-time visibility into work as it happens with roll-up reports, dashboards, and automated workflows built to keep your team connected and informed. Try Smartsheet for free, today. Get a Free Smartsheet Demo. In This Article. What Is Asynchronous Communication? Types of Asynchronous Communication Tools Asynchronous communication tools give people the ability to communicate instantly with anyone, anywhere in the world, without having a face-to-face conversation.

The goals of asynchronous tools are as follows: Enable constant discussion on topics. Improve collaboration and gain more input from people not directly involved in the situation or who are not physically in the same meeting or conversation.

Provide a greater ability to access historical information on past topics, like documents and images, that you can review whenever necessary. Increase productivity among team members and colleagues.

Function as a central hub of communication that is easy to access both in real time and after a discussion takes place. Email for Asynchronous Communication Email is a staple in the asynchronous communication toolbox, and remains the most-used method of communication in the workplace.

Pros of email include the following: It is reliable. It is inexpensive especially in regards to other, newer forms of communication. It is easy to use and adopt. Most people already use email and have higher levels of experience with it. It supports attachments and images. Cons of email include the following: It can leave team members out of important conversations.

People may start to rely too heavily on email for important communication. Reasonable response times can vary and can be too long. Set expectations for the amount of time that can lapse before a response is necessary — usually anywhere between hours.

Provide context in your email subject line so people know what it contains and can easily find it later. Keep emails short and concise. Basic Email Template for Asynchronous Communication. Chat Tools Chat tools are the go-to for effective asynchronous communication because they enable team members to engage with one another, easily share ideas and collaborate on projects, and strategize on business goals — all without talking in person.

Pros of chat tools for asynchronous communication include the following: Several team members can communicate with each other simultaneously, without having to hold a meeting. Virtual chat rooms and discussion boards promote better collaboration. They allow you to organize conversations and chats by different channels or topics. Chat tools can aid in informal communication. Implement only one or two chat apps across your organization. Too many apps can cause confusion and limit adoption.

Instead, let people respond on their own time. Chat with others only during work hours to promote a work-life balance. Video Chat Tools Increasingly, organizations that hope to become more effective at asynchronous communication are adopting video chat tools.

Pros of video chat tools include the following: They are generally easy to download and use. They offer a sustainable alternative to traditional meetings, which has become increasingly necessary as the world and the way we work changes. You can use video chat tools on virtually any desktop, tablet, or mobile device. The platform offers a quick way to contact and see people, which is what makes it more personal than a traditional phone call.

Most video tools offer synchronous features, like screen sharing and document transfers. Internally, this allows people to work simultaneously and then collaborate as needed without interruption. Messaging and notifications are the core elements of this design pattern because your first user who sends a message will wait for a notification or display before going back to work.

Separate notifications are needed to bring in the other party or service, and then they operate in the same way as the initial user. However, if customers are always elevating their concerns to the human level, a long-winded chatbot or multi-click selection tool can be frustrating. Getting this right first — before trying to finalize content or interaction steps — can help you identify universal needs that lead to a better UX overall.

Asynchronous collaboration elements play a role in all design situations. Building a project, communicating with your team, interacting with customers, and even sending reports to leadership will all have asynchronous tools that serve a smart purpose of bridging gaps and sharing ideas. You can use these tools to encourage deeper levels of collaboration.

Turn to your asynchronous communications tools often and ask for feedback, provide information, and remind your team to engage with each other. Building lines of communication between teams and customers — with set rules on how often communication can happen — also helps keep your team on the right track.

They minimize interruptions and disruption while allowing leaders to review communications and distribute the right items to the right designers. Help them collaborate and learn more about your customers and end users to think holistically about their work.

It smooths over many rough edges ahead of time and can speed up your ability to get buy-in from leadership and the customer for your next project. One specific area where this collaboration effort is most useful is in design critiques. Improve it further with clarity and direct asks. Top designers often share projects multiple times with a variety of stakeholders during the creation process. Make the most of these requests by using asynchronous tools to publish workflows, wire-frames, or prototypes, and project documentation.

Choose your specific way to share and ask for feedback, and then spread the link around to everyone who you want to help. Use comment systems or checklists to make those requests and thread these elements as much as possible to keep feedback mechanisms useful and coherent. A few thousand comments that are always visible can make any project hard to understand. Develop the practice and reinforce it. People on your team will have their own preferred mixes of asynchronous and synchronous communication.