The Cross-layer Reliability Visioning Study Group met October 29-30 at the IBM Austin Research Center in Austin, Texas. This was the third of three scheduled meetings focused on the growing challenges imposed by changes in device technology, system sizes, and application requirements.  A major goal of the Cross-layer Reliability Visioning process is to reach some consensus on how to achieve reliable computing using unpredictable components across different layers that dictate system reliability (i.e., device technology, design, architecture, software).  While the first two meetings focused on defining the multi-dimensional cross-layer reliability design space and presented cross-layer challenges as viewed from a range of application domains (e.g., consumer electronics, space/avionics, etc.), the third meeting dealt with reliability in life-critical systems and infrastructure environments. The meeting was attended by program managers from NSF, DARPA and NRL, who provided guidance on how to move this visioning process into a multi-agency funded cross-layer research program. The results of the year-long visioning process will be incorporated into a final report that will capture a strategy on how the research community can begin to address reliability issues in future computing technology and systems from a cross-layer perspective.
Contributed by David Kaeli at Northeastern University.