Smaller, faster, more intelligent - but how secure?

Today, many products have integrated electronics. In a modern midsize car alone, numerous electronic systems are used to optimize comfort, safety and effi ciency. In the traffi c and transportation segment, this type of hard- and software system is also incorporated into traffic infrastructures; safety systems; and the coordination of transportation and materials fl ows in logistics. In the health sector embedded electronic systems have become indispensable, improving quality of life and off ering a range of options to maintain and regain health. Examples of such medically relevant solutions include hearing aids, pacemakers, mobile ECG or »lab-on-chip« devices that improve diagnosis and treatment options.

Some of these products have only become possible thanks to rapid developments in manufacturing technology that have allowed embedded hardware and software systems (HW/SW) to be produced in ever smaller, more compact forms. This  results in a continuous stream of new challenges for industry and research institutions. Ever smaller products must be incorporated into ever more complex system architectures that must simultaneously meet the increasing  requirements of modern applications regarding processing speed and energy efficiency. In addition to  this, globalized markets mean growing time pressure for development work and shorter product cycles. Developers are also faced with high cost pressures, since competition among mass-market products is fierce and margins are low. The smallest diff erences in price are often key competitive advantages. Many applications have the further complicating factor that the embedded HW/SW systems are often deployed in security-critical applications.

Various research groups at OFFIS and Oldenburg University have been investigating these issues and challenges for many years now. Their goals include modeling; analysis; and optimization at all design levels plus the automated synthesis of embedded HW/SW systems regarding performance, energy consumption, manufacturing fluctuations, ageing effects, environmental influences, required chip area, and, finally, costs. Further focuses are the development of suitable specification, verification, and synthesis methods for component-based design processes as well as formal analysis methods to ensure implementation requirements.

This work will be transferred to the Embedded System Design competence cluster to facilitate its bundling and research within a larger context. This will facilitate the development of methods, tools, and standards that assist the effi cient, secure development of microelectronic embedded systems in industrial design processes.