Search arXiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/arXiv

arXiv · 1810.04312

Using ACL2 in the Design of Efficient, Verifiable Data Structures for High-Assurance Systems

David Hardin·Konrad Slind
View original source ↗Read source document ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Verification of algorithms and data structures utilized in modern autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles for land, sea, air, and space presents a significant challenge. Autonomy algorithms, e.g., route planning, pattern matching, and inference, are based on complex data structures such as directed graphs and algebraic data types. Proof techniques for these data structures exist, but are oriented to unbounded, functional realizations, which are not typically efficient in either space or time. Autonomous systems designers, on the other hand, generally limit the space and time allocations for any given function, and require that algorithms deliver results within a finite time, or suffer a watchdog timeout. Furthermore, high-assurance design rules frown on dynamic memory allocation, preferring simple array-based data structure implementations. In order to provide efficient implementations of high-level data structures used in autonomous systems with the high assurance needed for accreditation, we have developed a verifying compilation technique that supports the "natural" functional proof style, but yet applies to more efficient data structure implementations. Our toolchain features code generation to mainstream programming languages, as well as GPU-based and hardware-based realizations. We base the Intermediate Verification Language for our toolchain upon higher-order logic; however, we have used ACL2 to develop our efficient yet verifiable data structure design. ACL2 is particularly well-suited for this work, with its sophisticated libraries for reasoning about aggregate data structures of arbitrary size, efficient execution of formal specifications, as well as its support for "single-threaded objects" -- functional datatypes with imperative "under the hood" implementations. In this paper, we detail our high-assurance data structure design approach, including examples in ACL2 of common algebraic data types implemented using this design approach, proofs of correctness for those data types carried out in ACL2, as well as sample ACL2 implementations of relevant algorithms utilizing these efficient, high-assurance data structures.

Explore related subjects

cs.LOcs.DS

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

David Hardin, Konrad Slind. 2018-10-10. Using ACL2 in the Design of Efficient, Verifiable Data Structures for High-Assurance Systems. https://doi.org/10.4204/eptcs.280.5

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

arXiv2026

PICID: Proof-Driven Clause Learning in Neural Network Verification

Current Deep Neural Network (DNN) verifiers are typically designed to prioritize scalability over reliability. Reliability can be reinforced through the generation of proofs that are checkable by trusted, external proof checkers. To date, only a handful of verifiers support proof production; and these rely on verifier-specific formats, and balance between scalability, proof detail, and the trustworthiness of their proof checker. In this tool paper, we introduce PICID, a DNN verifier that produces proofs in the standard Alethe format for SMT solving, checkable by an independent checker. PICID implements a parallel CDCL(T) architecture that integrates the state-of-the-art, proof-producing CaDiCaL SAT solver with the Marabou DNN verifier. Furthermore, PICID leverages UNSAT proofs to derive conflict clauses. Our evaluation shows that PICID generates valid proofs in the vast majority of cases and significantly outperforms existing tools that produce comparable proofs.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2026

Confluence of conditional rewriting modulo

Sets of equations E play an important computational role in rewriting-based systems R. The equivalence relation =E induced by E introduces a partition of terms into E-equivalence classes on which rewriting computations, denoted ->R/E and called rewriting modulo E, are issued. This paper investigates confluence of ->R/E, usually called E-confluence, for conditional rewriting-based systems, where rewriting steps are determined by conditional rules. We rely on Jouannaud and Kirchner's framework to investigate confluence of an abstract relation R modulo an abstract equivalence relation E on a set A. We show how to particularize such a framework to be used with conditional systems. Then, we show how to define appropriate finite sets of conditional pairs to prove and disprove E-confluence. We introduce (i) Logic-based Conditional Critical Pairs, which do not require the use of (often infinitely many) E-unifiers to provide a finite representation of the local peaks considered in the abstract framework. We also introduce (ii) parametric Conditional Variable Pairs which are essential to deal with conditional rules in the analysis of E-confluence. Finally, we introduce (iii) Down Conditional Pairs which are often necessary to disprove E-confluence. Our results apply to well-known classes of rewriting-based systems, improving on previous results. As for unconditional systems, our results apply to Equational Term Rewriting Systems, first investigated by Huet and then by Jouannaud, and Jouannaud and Kirchner, among others. As for conditional systems, our results also apply to conditional rewrite theories and Maude.

cs.LO↗
arXiv2026

Verifying Numerical Methods with Isabelle/HOL

Modern machine learning pipelines are built on numerical algorithms. Reliable numerical methods are thus a prerequisite for trustworthy machine learning and cyber-physical systems. Therefore, we contribute a framework for verified numerical methods in Isabelle/HOL based on ITrees. Our user-friendly specification language enables the direct declaration of numerical programs that can be annotated with variants and invariants for reasoning about correctness specifications. The generated verification conditions can be discharged via automated proof methods and lemmas from the HOL-Analysis library. The ITrees foundation interacts with Isabelle's code generator to export source code. This provides an end-to-end path from formal specifications with machine-checked guarantees to executable sources. We illustrate the process of modelling numerical methods and demonstrate the effectiveness of the verification by focusing on two well-known methods, the bisection method and the fixed-point iteration method. We also contribute crucial extensions to the libraries of formalised mathematics required for this objective: higher-order derivatives and Taylor's theorem in Peano form. Finally, we qualitatively evaluate the use of the framework for verifying numerical methods.

cs.LO↗