Quality-driven model-based design of multi-processor embedded systems for highlydemanding applications

The recent spectacular progress in modern nano-dimension semiconductor technology enabled implementation of a complete complex multi-processor system on a single chip (MPSoC), global networking and mobile wire-less communication, and facilitated a fast progress in these areas. New important opportunities have been created. The traditional applications can be served much better and numerous new sorts of embedded systems became technologically feasible and economically justified. Various monitoring, control, communication or multi-media systems that can be put on or embedded in (mobile, poorly accessible or distant) objects, installations, machines or devices, or even implanted in human or animal body can serve as examples. However, many of the modern embedded application impose very stringent functional and parametric demands. Moreover, the spectacular advances in microelectronics introduced unusual silicon and system complexity. The combination of the huge complexity with the stringent application requirements results in numerous serious design and development challenges, such as: accounting in design for more aspects and changed relationships among aspects, complex multi-objective MPSoC optimization, adequate resolution of numerous complex design tradeoffs, reduction of the design productivity gap for the increasingly complex and sophisticated systems, reduction of the time-to market and development costs without compromising the system quality, etc. These challenges cannot be well addressed without an adequate system and design methodology adaptation. The adequate system and design paradigms to solve the problems seem to be the paradigms of: life-inspired systems, and quality-driven design. The first part of the tutorial is devoted to discussion of the issues and challenges in development of contemporary and future embedded systems and introduction of the quality-driven model-based design methodology based on the paradigms of life-inspired systems and quality-driven design earlier proposed by the first presenter of this tutorial. Subsequently, the actual industrial Intel's ASIP-based MPSoC technology is introduced, and situation, trends and problems are discussed in the area of heterogeneous MPSoCs based on adaptable ASIPs and hardware accelerators for highly-demanding applications.