6. A Composable and Predictable MPSoC Design Flow for Multiple Real-Time Applications

Design of real-time MPSoC systems including multiple applications is challenging because temporal requirements of each application must be respected throughout the entire design flow. Currently the design of different applications is often interdependent, making converge to a solution for each application difficult. This chapter proposes a compositional method to design applications independently, and then to execute them without interference. We define a formal modeling framework as a suitable entry point for application design. The models are executable, which enables early detection of specification errors, and include the formal properties of the applications based on well-defined models of computation. We combine this with a predictable MPSoC platform template that has a supporting design flow but lacks a simulation front-end. The structure and behavior of the application models are exported to an intermediate format via introspection which is iteratively transformed for the backend flow. We identify the problems arising in this transformation and provide appropriate solutions. The design flow is demonstrated by a system consisting of two streaming applications where less than half of the design time is dedicated to operating on the integrated system model.