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ACL2 theorems about commercial microprocessors

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Formal Methods in Computer-Aided Design (FMCAD 1996)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1166))

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Abstract

ACL2 is a mechanized mathematical logic intended for use in specifying and proving properties of computing machines. In two independent projects, industrial engineers have collaborated with researchers at Computational Logic, Inc. (CLI), to use ACL2 to model and prove properties of state-of-the-art commercial microprocessors prior to fabrication. In the first project, Motorola, Inc., and CLI collaborated to specify Motorola's complex arithmetic processor (CAP), a single-chip, digital signal processor (DSP) optimized for communications signal processing. Using the specification, we proved the correctness of several CAP microcode programs. The second industrial collaboration involving ACL2 was between Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) and CLI. In this work we proved the correctness of the kernel of the floating-point division operation on AMD's first Pentium-class microprocessor, the AMD5 K 86. In this paper, we discuss ACL2 and these industrial applications, with particular attention to the microcode verification work.

The theorem prover used in this work was supported in part at Computational Logic, Inc., by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, ARPA Order 7406, and the Office of Naval Research, Contract N00014-94-C-0193. The views and conclusions contained in this document are those of the author(s) and should not be interpreted as representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., Motorola, Inc., Computational Logic, Inc., the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the Office of Naval Research, or the U.S. Government.

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Author notes

  1. Matt Kaufmann

    Present address: Motorola @ Lakewood, P.O. Box 6000 MD F52, 78762, Austin, TX

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computational Logic, Inc., 1717 West Sixth Street, 78703-4776, Austin, TX, USA

    Bishop Brock, Matt Kaufmann & J Strother Moore

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  1. Bishop Brock
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  2. Matt Kaufmann
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  3. J Strother Moore
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Mandayam Srivas Albert Camilleri

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Brock, B., Kaufmann, M., Moore, J.S. (1996). ACL2 theorems about commercial microprocessors. In: Srivas, M., Camilleri, A. (eds) Formal Methods in Computer-Aided Design. FMCAD 1996. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1166. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0031816

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0031816

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-61937-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-49567-3

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