Control Logic Verification

Concept

Control logic verification is the process of validating the microprocessor mechanisms that control instruction execution—including hazards resolution, branch processing, and exception handling. Because control logic is a key component of pipelined microprocessors, it must be verified thoroughly, often through automated test program generation based on formal ISA specifications and pipeline hazards templates.

First seen 6/11/2026

Last seen 6/11/2026

Evidence 4 chunks

Wiki v1

WIKI

Control Logic Verification

Definition

In a modern pipelined microprocessor, the control logic refers to the mechanisms responsible for controlling the execution of instructions. At every cycle, the control logic makes numerous decisions on hazards resolution, branches processing, exceptions handling, and similar concerns. Control logic is regarded as a key component of a microprocessor and therefore must be designed and verified thoroughly, without missing any detail.

READ FULL ARTICLE →

NEIGHBORHOOD

No graph connections found for this entity yet. It may appear in future ingestion runs.

explore full graph →

RELATIONSHIPS

1 connections

An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates ← uses 95% 2e

The paper aims to systematize control logic verification using formal specifications.

LINKED ENTITIES

1 links

An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates USES Extracted graph relationship

CITATIONS

10 sources

10 citations — click to expand

[1] Control logic is the set of microprocessor mechanisms responsible for controlling instructions execution, including decisions on hazards resolution, branches processing, and exceptions handling at every cycle. An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates

[2] Control logic is a key component of a microprocessor that should be designed and verified thoroughly. An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates

[3] For an instruction that can raise N exceptions, N+1 test situations are usually defined (Exception=false, Exception₀=true, …, Exception_{N-1}=true). An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates

[4] Branch instructions are tested using a test situation of the form Target=Label, Trace={C₀, …, C_{M-1}}, where Label is the target address and Cᵢ is a truth value of the branch condition for the i-th execution. An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates

[5] Pipeline hazard situations relevant to control logic verification are classified into four types: exceptions, data hazards, structural hazards, and control hazards (with subtypes Exception/IntegerOverflow, GPR Registers Hazards, ALU Hazards, and Incorrect Prediction, respectively). An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates

[6] Dependencies between instructions (register dependencies and address/data dependencies) play a key role in the creation of pipeline hazards. An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates

[7] The pipeline-hazards-template methodology enables a high level of automation and allows systematically testing control logic of a microprocessor, and is applicable in early design stages when the microarchitecture is frequently revised. An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates

[8] Composite test actions are built by composing several basic templates to test complex situations such as parallel hazards, nested hazards, and parallel exceptions. An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates

[9] Using accurate models of control logic is reasonable in late stages of a microprocessor design cycle when control logic is stable, and the future work plans to extend the template-based approach to support accurate models. An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates

[10] The methodology was applied to the verification of control logic of two arithmetical coprocessors (floating-point CP1 and complex-arithmetic CP2) sharing control flow with the CPU, using three execution channels; the generated test programs detected a considerable number of errors not found by random generation. An Approach to Test Programs Generation for Microprocessors Based on Pipeline Hazards Templates