Intelligent Testing for Simulation-Based Verification of Complex Industrial Hardware

Abstract

Verification has become an indispensable part of the hardware design life-cycle. As hardware designs get larger, and functionally more complex, it becomes increasingly more challenging to ensure that their underlying logic operates as intended. Size and complexity issues are particularly prevalent in the verification of large industrial-scale hardware, where simulation- based verification has consistently proven itself on account of such issues. However, the rate of coverage progress tends to slow down considerably during the later stages of verification. At the same time, ineffective tests continue to consume verification resources such as compute power during simulation.

This thesis investigates novel approaches to enhance the efficacy and efficiency of simulation- based verification during its late stages. The research specifically addresses the following questions: How can intelligent testing methods be employed to improve test stimuli prioritisation and verification resource management, and how can a hy

Date of Award	10 Dec 2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Kerstin I Eder (Supervisor) & Timothy Blackmore (Supervisor)