Presentation
Enabling Automated Software Testing in Emulation Environments via Fastboot Virtualization and On-Premises LLM-Based Failure Analysis
SessionSystem & Software Deployment
DescriptionAutomated software testing that integrates Android driver features is widely adopted in post-silicon environments to improve software robustness through unattended flashing, reboot, recovery, and failure analysis workflows. Such automation workflows leverage multiple Android interfaces, including ADB and fastboot, to support device control, recovery, and post-failure log collection. Applying these automated testing workflows in pre-silicon environments, particularly emulation-based platforms, is highly desirable, as it enables real software bugs and robustness issues to be discovered and mitigated early in the development cycle, prior to silicon availability.
However, extending automated software testing to pre-silicon emulation environments faces two independent challenges. First, fastboot is not natively available in pre-silicon platforms. Although fastboot is technically feasible via USB, it is prohibitively slow for use in emulation environments. In contrast, ADB demonstrates that host–target connectivity can be realized through virtualized communication mechanisms in pre-silicon–like environments, motivating a similar approach for fastboot. Second, even when failure detection is automated, test platforms still struggle to determine whether a detected kernel panic represents a genuine software bug or a non-critical event, such as a bring-up artifact. Moreover, the use of external large language models, such as ChatGPT, is often restricted by security and data confidentiality requirements.
To address these challenges, we present an unattended end-to-end software test automation framework for pre-silicon emulation environments that integrates fastboot virtualization with an on-premises LLM-based failure analysis pipeline. The proposed framework has been validated in an ongoing flagship SoC project, demonstrating early discovery of real software bugs and improved system readiness at silicon bring-up.
However, extending automated software testing to pre-silicon emulation environments faces two independent challenges. First, fastboot is not natively available in pre-silicon platforms. Although fastboot is technically feasible via USB, it is prohibitively slow for use in emulation environments. In contrast, ADB demonstrates that host–target connectivity can be realized through virtualized communication mechanisms in pre-silicon–like environments, motivating a similar approach for fastboot. Second, even when failure detection is automated, test platforms still struggle to determine whether a detected kernel panic represents a genuine software bug or a non-critical event, such as a bring-up artifact. Moreover, the use of external large language models, such as ChatGPT, is often restricted by security and data confidentiality requirements.
To address these challenges, we present an unattended end-to-end software test automation framework for pre-silicon emulation environments that integrates fastboot virtualization with an on-premises LLM-based failure analysis pipeline. The proposed framework has been validated in an ongoing flagship SoC project, demonstrating early discovery of real software bugs and improved system readiness at silicon bring-up.
Event Type
Engineering Presentation
TimeMonday, July 274:15pm - 4:30pm PDT
LocationSeaside Ballroom B