Optimizing System Level Design of Mobile Phones

Todays mobile phones belong to the class of embedded computer systems
which, as opposed to general purpose computer systems, are
characterized by realizing well defined sets of system {\em tasks}.
This allows for system specialization, i.e. targeting the system
implementation for the specialized application.
As in other areas of engineering, the competitive marketplace and
relatively short lifetime of mobile phones requires fast and
inexpensive development subject to the constraints of cost,
performance, power dissipation, dependability, etc..
Due to the size and complexity of these systems, as well as the many
constraints, they are very difficult to analyze and design, even for
experts. An optimal product is obtained by selecting the right system
components (i.e. number of type of CPUs, ASICs, busses, interfaces,
etc.) and selecting the right {\em mapping} of the system tasks onto
these components, i.e. should a task be implemented as software on a
CPU, which gives higher flexibility, or should it be implemented as
dedicated hardware on an ASIC which reduces power dissipation and size
of the product. This process is called {\em system level design}.
The main objective of the project is to develop, test and refine
university developed tools for system level design in an industrial
environment. The tools will be implemented as software programs.