System-level power/performance analysis for embedded systems design

ABSTRACT

This paper presents a formal technique for system-level power/performance analysis that can help the designer to select the right platform starting from a set of target applications. By platform we mean a family of heterogeneous architectures that satisfy a set of architectural constraints imposed to allow re-use of hardware and software components. More precisely, we introduce the Stochastic Automata Networks (SANs) as an effective formalism for average-case analysis that can be used early in the design cycle to identify the best power/performance figure among several appli-cation-architecture combinations. This information not only helps avoid lengthy profiling simulations, but also enables efficient map-pings of the applications onto the chosen platform. We illustrate the features of our technique through the design of an MPEG-2 video decoder application.

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INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  F. Theory of Computation
  F.1 COMPUTATION BY ABSTRACT DEVICES
      F.1.1 Models of Computation
          Subjects: Unbounded-action devices (e.g., cellular automata, circuits, networks of machines)

Additional Classification:
  B. Hardware
  B.8 Performance and Reliability

  C. Computer Systems Organization
  C.3 SPECIAL-PURPOSE AND APPLICATION-BASED SYSTEMS
      Subjects: Real-time and embedded systems

  J. Computer Applications
  J.2 PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING
      Subjects: Electronics

General Terms:
Design, Measurement, Performance, Theory

Keywords:
multimedia systems, platform-based design, stochastic automata networks, system-level analysis