A method includes receiving flits forwarded from an upstream router into a first input virtual channel (VC) associated with an input port. The flits are associated with packets originated from a first Intellectual Property (IP) core and forwarded to a second IP core. The flits are stored in a VC storage associated with the first input VC. The method further includes performing link width conversion based on a width of the flits being different from a width of an output port. Link width conversion includes accumulation of the flits when the width of the output port is wider and unpacking of the flits when the width of the output port is narrower. Credits are generated based on the flits being forwarded from the first input VC to the output port. The credits are sent to the upstream router to enable receiving more flits from the upstream router.