Optimal static WCET-aware scratchpad allocation of program code

Abstract

Caches are notorious for their unpredictability. It is difficult or even impossible to predict if a memory access will result in a definite cache hit or miss. This unpredictability is highly undesired especially when designing real-time systems where the worst-case execution time (WCET) is one of the key metrics. Scratchpad memories (SPMs) have proven to be a fully predictable alternative to caches. In contrast to caches, however, SPMs require dedicated compiler support.