Apparatus and method for routing access requests in an interconnect

Abstract

A technique is provided for routing access requests within an interconnect. An apparatus provides a plurality of requester elements for issuing access requests, and a slave element to be accessed in response to the access requests. An interconnect is used to couple the plurality of requester elements with the slave element, and provides an intermediate element that acts as a point of serialisation to order the access requests issued by the plurality of requester elements via the intermediate element. Communication channels are provided within the interconnect to support communication between each of the requester elements and the intermediate element, and between the intermediate element and the slave element. At least one requester element is a channel selectable requester element, and the interconnect further provides, for each channel selectable requester element, a bypass communication channel to support a direct communication between that channel selectable requester element and the slave element that bypasses the intermediate element. Each channel selectable requester element is then arranged, in the presence of a direct slave access condition, to issue an access request over the bypass communication channel to the slave element without that access request passing via the intermediate element.