A Framework for Compiler Driven Design Space Exploration for Embedded System Customization

Designing custom solutions has been central to meeting a range of stringent and specialized needs of embedded computing, along such dimensions as physical size, power consumption, and performance that includes real-time behavior. For this trend to continue, we must find ways to overcome the twin hurdles of rising non-recurring engineering (NRE) costs and decreasing time-to-market windows by providing major improvements in designer productivity. This paper presents compiler directed design space exploration as a framework for articulating, formulating, and implementing global optimizations for embedded systems customization, where the design space is spanned by parametric representations of both candidate compiler optimizations and architecture parameters, and the navigation of the design space is driven by quantifiable, machine independent metrics. This paper describes the elements of such a framework and an example of its application.