Improving the design and reliability of future computer systems via using intermediate values of outputs

Abstract

In future computer systems, we will need to increase the utilization ratio of existing hardware and software modules to achieve the desired efficiency of maximum speed, minimum power usage, and improved reliability. In typical hardware and software modules, once the inputs of the system are ready, the final values of the outputs become available after a certain amount of time (called execution time in software and delay in hardware). While a module is computing the output values, it is often considered as a black box and often we do not have access to intermediate results produced by the module. In this paper, we explore the utilization of intermediate values generated by hardware and software modules in order to improve future computer systems. For modules that do not produce intermediate values, we need to establish techniques to redesign the modules so that they produce useful intermediate values. By using the available/generated intermediate values, we can produce faster computer systems with less power usage. Moreover, the reliability of computer systems (test, verification, and fault tolerance) can be also improved. We present case studies and preliminary simulation results that show that our technique of utilizing intermediate values is highly effective, feasible, and promising.