A Review of AMBA Bus Protocols: Focus on AHB, AHB-Lite, and AXI

Abstract

A common interface for connecting parts of a system-on-chip (SoC) design is provided by the Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture (AMBA). Focusing on the AXI, AHB-Lite, and AHB protocols, this page provides a summary of the AMBA bus protocols.  When it comes to communicating between the CPU and high-bandwidth peripherals, the AHB is the way to go, but AHB-Lite is more user-friendly and uses less power. The AXI protocol is an extension of the AHB and includes parallel communication and is also part of the modern SoC architecture. This review discusses the characteristics, functions, and uses of these protocols, their contribution in enhancing system performance, energy efficiency and throughput. Another aspect that has been highlighted in the paper is the development of AMBA protocols in line with the growing complexity of mobile and multi-core processors, with a focus on the capability of supporting high-performance computing systems.