CL(R)Early: An Early-stage DSE Methodology for Cross-Layer Reliability-aware Heterogeneous Embedded Systems

Abstract

Cross-layer reliability (CLR) presents a cost-effective alternative to traditional single-layer design in resource-constrained embedded systems. CLR provides the scope for leveraging the inherent fault-masking of multiple layers and exploiting application-specific tolerances to degradation in some Quality of Service (QoS) metrics. However, it can also lead to an explosion in the design complexity. State-of-the art approaches to such joint optimization across multiple degrees of freedom can lead to degradation in the system-level Design Space Exploration (DSE) results. To this end, we propose a DSE methodology for enabling CLR-aware task-mapping in heterogeneous embedded systems. Specifically, we present novel approaches to both task and system-level analysis for performing an early-stage exploration of various design decisions. The proposed methodology results in considerable improvements over other state-of-the-art approaches and shows significant scaling with application size.