Practical Processor Verification
By Brian Bailey, Semiconductor Engineering
When creating a new processor, how much verification is required? Setting the right ROI is important.
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“Processor verification has a lot in common with other large complex designs, but there are unique aspects, as well,” says Nicolae Tusinschi, design verification expert at OneSpin Solutions. “Multi-instruction sequences present special challenges and require automated formal verification techniques. Corner cases related to exceptions, pipeline hazards, cache coherency protocols, and IEEE 754 floating-point operations are highly unlikely to be exercised in simulation, so only full formal proofs can provide the confidence needed. Even baseline ISA compliance, which sounds simple, can only be certain if proven formally.”
