The Power of Synchronisation: Formal Analysis of Power Consumption in Networks of Pulse-Coupled Oscillators

TL;DR

This paper provides a formal analysis of power consumption in bio-inspired pulse-coupled oscillator networks, using model checking to evaluate energy use and trade-offs in synchronization protocols.

Contribution

It introduces an extended formal model with energy tracking and applies formal verification to analyze power consumption in network synchronization.

Findings

Quantifies energy required for synchronization.

Explores trade-offs between power use and synchronization time.

Provides a framework for analyzing large-scale network protocols.

Abstract

We assess the power consumption of network synchronisation protocols, particularly the energy required to synchronise all nodes across a network. We use the widely adopted approach of bio-inspired, pulse-coupled oscillators to achieve network-wide synchronisation and provide an extended formal model of just such a protocol, enhanced with structures for recording energy usage. Exhaustive analysis is then carried out through formal verification, utilising the PRISM model checker to calculate the resources consumed on each possible system execution. This allows us to assess a range of parameter instantiations and to explore trade-offs between power consumption and time to synchronise. This provides a principled basis for the formal analysis of a much broader range of large-scale network protocols.