ConnChecker: Automated Root-Cause Analysis for Formal Connectivity Check via Graph

TL;DR

ConnChecker automates root-cause analysis in formal connectivity verification by leveraging graph-based methods, significantly reducing debugging time in complex SoC designs through automated failure localization and targeted analysis flows.

Contribution

It introduces a novel graph-based framework that automates failure localization and root-cause analysis in formal connectivity checking, enhancing scalability and efficiency.

Findings

Achieved up to 80% reduction in debugging time.

Effectively localized failure points in complex SoC cases.

Demonstrated scalability across diverse connectivity scenarios.

Abstract

Formal connectivity checking offers scalable verification of signal paths in complex SoC designs, but debugging counterexamples remains a manual and time-consuming process. ConnChecker introduces a new graph-based perspective for automating root-cause analysis by integrating formal tool outputs such as structural/functional dependency graphs and counterexamples report. It begins with automatic failure categorization, routing each counterexample to one of three targeted analysis flows. These flows localize failure points and suggest corrective actions or hints for manual inspection. Evaluated on two industrial SoCs, ConnChecker achieved up to 80\% reduction in debugging time, especially for complex cases, demonstrating its scalability and effectiveness across diverse connectivity scenarios.