Rigorous embedded design: challenges and perspectives

International audienceThe design of embedded systems radically differs from pure software design in that it should take into account not only the functional, but also extra-functional specifications regarding the use of resources of the execution platform such as processing time, memory, and energy. Meeting extra-functional specifications is essential for the design of embedded systems. It requires predictability of the impact of design choices on the overall behavior of the designed system. It also implies a deep understanding of the interaction between application software and the underlying execution platform. We currently lack approaches for modeling mixed hardware-software systems. There are currently no established rigorous techniques for deriving global models of a given system from models of its application software and its execution platform. However, many researchers and industrials are nowadays working in this area and proposing solutions. The Rigorous Embedded Design Red workshop which took place at EUROSYS11 provided an unique opportunity to discuss several new methodologies for the rigorous design of embedded systems. Through a series of invited talks, the workshop appraised some of the challenges and emerging approaches in the area. A series of design flows has been presented and the workshop discussions focused on performance analysis, correctness (high confidence and security), code generation, and modeling aspects (including timed scheduling and software/hardware interactions). Those concepts have been illustrated with examples coming from the aeronautic, automotive, and robotic areas. The aim of this introduction paper is to briefly present the challenges for Embedded system design surveyed by Red