Constraint-Based Random Stimuli Generation for Hardware Verification

We report on random stimuli generation for hardware verification at IBM as a major application of various artificial intelligence technologies, including knowledge representation, expert systems, and constraint satisfaction. For more than a decade we have developed several related tools, with huge payoffs. Research and development around this application are still thriving, as we continue to cope with the everincreasing complexity of modern hardware systems and demanding business environments. BM estimates that it has saved more than $100 million during the last decade in direct development costs and reduced time to market by using artificial intelligence (AI) technology for the verification of its processors and systems. The technology is used to generate tests, or stimuli, for simulating hardware designs prior to their casting in silicon.