Conflicting criteria in embedded system design

The complexity of the design problem becomes apparent when considering the huge design space of possible implementations on the one hand and the many conflicting design goals on the other. Automated design tools are necessary in order to handle the complexity of today's systems and to support the designer in finding the trade-off that best fits the market requirements. This article presents a methodology to cope with the simultaneous optimization of multiple competing objectives and the different sources of heterogeneity in embedded system design.