AppropinQuo: A Platform Emulator for Exploring the Approximate Memory Design Space

In this work we present AppropinQuo, a flexible and configurable emulator for embedded platforms with approximate memory. The emulator includes models of the effects of approximate memory circuits and architectures, that depend on the internal structure and organization of the cells. The ability to emulate a complete platform, including CPU, peripherals and hardware-software interactions, is particularly important since it allows to execute the application as on the real board, reproducing the effects of errors on output. In fact, output quality is related not only to error rate but it also depends on the application, implementation and its data representation. AppropinQuo allows to run actual applications and operating system as on the physical platform, to analyze the behavior and to expose the effects of specific approximate memory circuits and architectures on output quality. By exploring the design space regarding approximate memories, a complete characterization of the application is possible, as a step toward the determination of the trade-off between saved energy and output quality (energy-quality tradeoff).