Derating concerns for microprocessors used in safety critical applications

The use of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) microprocessors for safety-critical applications usually implies derating of the device to make it work in harsh environment. This paper discusses derating concerns for state-of-the-art microprocessors. Issues addressed in the paper include noise margins due to low voltage levels, multiple power supplies, frequency and current derating concerns, error sources, timing degradation, power-aware architectures, and new advanced microprocessor derating features.