Simulation has been a fundamental tool to prototype, hypothesize, and evaluate
new ideas to continue improving system performance. However, increasing levels
of processor parallelism and heterogeneity have introduced additional
constraints when evaluating new designs. The work embodied in this dissertation
explores how to leverage novel ideas in simulator partitioning to improve
simulator speed and flexibility for simulating these new types of systems.
The contribution of this work includes the introduction of optimistic
partitioned simulation to improve parallelization, and the introduction of
warped partitioned simulation for improved flexibility. These ideas are refined
and demonstrated through the use of prototypes to demonstrate their benefits
compared to state-of-the-art approaches. By leveraging partitioning in a
structured manner, it is possible to design simulators that better address the
open challenges of parallel and heterogeneous systems design.Electrical and Computer Engineerin
