  Energy-efficiency and design-complexity of high-speed on-chip and inter-chip
data-interconnects has emerged as the major bottleneck for high-performance
computing-systems. As a solution, we propose an ultra-low energy interconnect
design-scheme using nano-scale spintorque switches. In the proposed method,
data is transmitted in the form of current-pulses, with amplitude of the order
of few micro-amperes that flows across a small terminal-voltage of less than
50mV. Sub-nanosecond spintorque switching of scaled nano-magnets can be used to
receive and convert such high-speed current-mode signal into binary
voltage-levels using magnetic-tunnel-junction (MTJ), with the help of simple
CMOS inverter. As a result of low-voltage, low-current signaling and minimal
signal-conversion overhead, the proposed technique can facilitate highly
compact and simplified designs for multi-gigahertz inter-chip and on-chip
data-communication links. Such links can achieve more than ~100x higher
energy-efficiency, as compared to state of the art CMOS interconnects.
