Simulated annealing applied to multicomputer task allocation and processor specification

Abstract

This paper considers the design problems of processor specification and task allocation for embedded computer systems. A partitioning-based representation is proposed that allows these problems to be solved concurrently. An algorithm based on this representation is described that utilizes simulated annealing coupled with a heuristic processor specification technique. This algorithm, named SA2, is compared against three baseline algorithms on a combination of real and synthetic test cases with respect to two figures of merit: hardware cost and run-time. The real test cases are based on commercially developed automotive electronic applications and the baseline algorithms represent a mixture of heuristic approaches with varying degrees of sophistication. For all test cases, SA2 is found to generate near optimal solutions, and the relative trade-off between solution quality and run-time exhibited by the algorithms is quantified and analyzed.