Engineering for Software-Integrated Systems is constantly evolving, both in terms of novel implementation technologies and new application domains. The lecture will review recent advances and results in these directions.
Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are increasingly relying on so-called Learning-Enabled Components (LEC) to implement complex functions. By LEC we mean a component (typically, but not exclusively, implemented in software) that is realized with the help of data-driven techniques, i.e., machine learning. The claim is that such a LEC built via supervised learning is easier to implement than building a complex, image processing driven control system that safely steers an autonomous car. In other words, if the straightforward design and engineering is too difficult, a trained neural network can do the job after enough training. However, for high-consequence systems the challenge is to prove that the resulting system is safe: it does no harm, and it is live: it carries out its goals. Recent results from research projects show that new model-driven techniques are needed for (1) the formal verification techniques whenever possible (including proving properties of the 'learned' component), (2) monitoring technology for assurance, to show when the LEC is not performing well, and (3) tool-supported development.

Gabor Karsai is Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University, as well as an external member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. He has over thirty years of experience in research on systems and software engineering. He conducts research in the model-based design and implementation of cyber-physical systems, in programming tools for visual programming environments, and in the theory and practice of model-integrated computing. He received his BSc, MSc, and Dr Techn. degrees from the Technical University of Budapest, in 1982, 1984 and 1988, respectively, and his PhD from Vanderbilt University in 1988.

After the emergence of multi-core and many-core architectures in embedded systems, embedded processor design is undergoing a significant paradigm shift. This revolution is driven by two major developments: the rise of open-hardware IPs—particularly RISC-V cores—and the evolution of modular hardware architectures based on interconnected chiplets. The combination of these two innovations enables the design of new processors that are more cost-effective, application-specific, and scalable. Key industrial players in the embedded domain, especially in the automotive and aerospace sectors, are now exploring the development of their own processors based on chiplet integration and RISC-V. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of these trends and to highlight the emerging research challenges for the scientific community.

Prof. Frédéric Boniol is a Research Director at ONERA, the French Aerospace Lab, and a leading expert in formal methods, real-time systems, and software reliability for critical embedded systems. He was previously a Full Professor at INPT (National Polytechnic Institute) in Toulouse. With over 25 years of experience in both academic and applied research, Prof. Boniol has significantly contributed to the formal verification of aerospace and aviation systems, supporting safety-critical developments at the intersection of computer science and aerospace engineering. He is a recognized authority in the integration of formal specification languages, model checking, and timing analysis into the development lifecycle of embedded real-time systems, particularly in avionics. His work facilitates the rigorous certification of complex systems in compliance with standards such as DO-178C. His research expertise includes multi-core processor architectures and aeronautical certification processes.