A call for cross-layer and cross-domain reliability analysis and management

Abstract

For many applications, reliability, availability and trustability are key factors, requiring careful design to meet the end users expectations. The complex ASICs, which are now ubiquitous, often embed tens of millions of flip-flops, hundreds of megabits of embedded SRAM, and hundreds of millions of combinatorial cells. These designs integrate IP from multiple providers and are implemented in advanced process technologies, making it challenging to evaluate their reliability. Initiatives such as RIIF (Reliability Information Interchange Format) allow the formalization, specification and modeling of extra-functional, reliability properties for technology, circuits and systems. Continuing these efforts, we propose RAFT (Reliability Architect Framework and Toolset) - a reliability-centric framework including reliability data and models, methodologies and tools allowing system reliability exploration and optimization using mathematical models and high-level tools. The proposed approach can be combined with performance management methodologies aiming at reducing the engineering effort devoted to reliability analysis and improvement.