Formal Design and Correctness Verification of Synchronous and Asynchronous Digital VLSI Systems

Objective

Functional verification is one of the bottlenecks of VLSI-based system design. For economic and industrial reasons, the design of VLSI circuits must be completely validated before manufacturing. Current VLSI validation is still done mainly through the simulation of a limited set of test cases. This does not guarantee correctness. Formal verification methods, on the other hand, are analytic, and avoid the simulation of specific input stimuli. They have the potential to guarantee the correctness of implemented circuits with respect to their specifications for all allowable input stimuli.

Fundamental problems still have to be formalised, and efficient domain-specific solutions still need to be found in order to be able to bring formal verification into use for realistically sized applications.

The group will address the following topics: efficient basic verification techniques; efficient and automatic verification tools for both synchronous and asynchronous designs; methodologies for designing verifiable circuits; symbolic state-space exploration techniques; verification from lower level (gate and transistor switch) up to higher levels; specification formalisms and provable subsets of HDLs; formal verification from industry-standard VHDL language; integration through a common data model and a common verification methodology; and evaluation of progress in verification technology and methodology through applying both to real chip designs.

A multi-disciplinary approach is required. The combination of universities and an electronics research institute gives the appropriate balance between a theoretical approach and one focusing on applied methods. The group will further its objectives through its own internal contact network which will involve meetings of partners active in the above topic areas. The group may organise international workshops in the field of formal hardware design and will participate in workshops involving formal methods and design methodology related topics.

POTENTIAL

This working group aims to enhance the potential for future technological breakthroughs by identifying novel techniques for the formal verification of the complex VLSI systems that will be required by the European IT industry. The progress of this working group will be regularly presented at international conferences and workshops and in publications.

Programme(s)

• FP3-ESPRIT 3 - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of information technologies, 1990-1994

Topic(s)

Data not available

Call for proposal

Data not available

Funding Scheme

Data not available

Coordinator

Interuniversitair Mikroelektronica Centrum

Address

Kapeldreef 75
3030 Heverlee
Belgium

Participants (5)

JOHANN WOLFGANG GOETHE UNIVERSITAET FRANKFURT

Germany

Address

Robert-mayer Strasse 8-10
60325 Frankfurt-am-main

POLITECNICO DI TORINO

Italy

Address

Corso Duca Degli Abruzzi 24
10129 Torino

UNIVERSITY OF STRATHCLYDE

United Kingdom

Address

16 Richmond Street
G1 IXQ Glasgow

Université d'Aix-Marseille I (Université de Provence)

France

Address

3 Place Victor Hugo
13331 Marseille

Université de Grenoble I (Université Joseph Fourier)

France

Address

385 Avenue De La Bibliothèque
38041 Grenoble