Facilitating reuse in hardware models with enhanced type inference

Abstract

High-level hardware modeling is an essential, yet time-consuming, part of system design. However, effective component-based reuse in hardware modeling languages can reduce model construction time and enable the exploration of more design alternatives, leading to better designs. While component overloading and parametric polymorphism are critical for effective component-base reuse, no existing modeling language supports both. The lack of these features creates overhead for designers that discourages reuse, negating any benefits of reuse. This work presents a type system which supports both component overloading and parametric polymorphism. It proves that performing type inference for any such system is NP-complete and presents a heuristic that works efficiently in practice. The result is a type system and type inference algorithm that can encourage reuse, reduce design specification time, and lead to better designs.