Flexible Instruction-Set Semantics via Abstract Monads (Experience Report)

Instruction sets, from families like x86 and ARM, are at the center of many ambitious formal-methods projects. Many verification, synthesis, programming, debugging tools rely on formal semantics instruction but different can use in rather ways. The best-known work applying single across diverse relies domain-specific languages Sail, where language its translation specialized to realm sets. In context open RISC-V instruction-set family, we decided explore a approach, with written carefully chosen subset Haskell. This style does not depend any new translators, relying instead parameterization over type-class instances. We have used core support testing, interactive proof, model checking both software hardware, demonstrating that monads ability abstract them using type classes pleasant prototyping ISA semantics.