Cellular automata-based systems with fault-tolerance

Byl's Loop, Cellular automata, Cellular computing, Fault-tolerance, Game of Life, Majority, Rule 30, Static module redundancy, TMR

One of the new computing paradigms which could overcome some of the problems of existing computing architectures may be cellular computing. In the investigated scenario, cellular automata-based systems are intended for yet-unknown methods of fabrication and as such, they need to address the problem of fault-tolerance in a way which is not tightly connected to used technology. Our goal is to reach not too complicated solutions, which may not be possible with existing elaborate fault-tolerant systems. This paper presents a possible solution for increasing fault-tolerance in cellular automata in a form of static module redundancy. Further, a set of experiments evaluating this approach is described, using triple and quintuple module redundancy in the automata with the presence of defects. The results indicate that the concept works for low intensity of defects for our selected benchmarks, however, the ability to cope with defects can not be intuitively deduced beforehand, as shown by the varying outcomes. One of the problems -- the majority task -- is then explored further, investigating the cellular automaton's ability to cope not only with defects but also with transient errors.