Electronic Systems Design Seminar
http://www-cad.eecs.berkeley.edu/esd-seminar

Abstract

We propose the framework of Agent Algebra as a foundation for the study of heterogeneous systems. Different models of computation can be expressed in terms of a common algebraic structure that includes the usual operations of scoping, instantiation and parallel composition and a relation of refinement. The models can then be related by structure preserving maps. In particular, we study the concept of conservative approximation which preserves refinement verification results from abstract to concrete models. We also show that conservative approximations are more general than the established notion of abstract interpretation.

The common algebraic structure is also used to study techniques that can be applied to all models of computation. In this talk we focus on a
characterization of the refinement relationship in terms of substitutability and compatibility, and provide the necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence for each component of a most general environment, called "mirror", that characterizes the refinement order. The mirror is then used to solve the problem of deriving a local specification for a component given a global specification and a context. We show under which conditions the problem admits an algebraic solution in closed form.