Abstract: Technologies are generally described for secure authentication tokens that employ hardware public physically unclonable functions. Each unique token can be implemented as hardware such that manufacturing variations provide measurable performance differences resulting in unique, unclonable devices or systems. For example, slight timing variations through a large number of logic gates may be used as a hardware public physically unclonable function of the authentication token. The authentication token can be characterized such that its physical characteristics may be publicly distributed to authenticators. Authenticators may then simulate the result from a particular input vector and then request the authentication token to generate the same result in a very short amount of time. The time may be specified such that the result could not be simulated by an imposter for a timely response.

Abstract: Technologies are generally described for secure digital signatures that employ hardware public physically unclonable functions. Each unique digital signature generator can be implemented as hardware such that manufacturing variations provide measurable performance differences resulting in unique, unclonable devices or systems. For example, slight timing variations through a large number of logic gates may be used as a hardware public physically unclonable function of the digital signature unit. The hardware digital signature unit can be parameterized such that its physical characteristics may be publicly distributed to signature verifiers. The verifiers may then simulate randomly selected portions of the signature for verification.

Abstract: Techniques are generally described for correcting computation errors via input compensation and/or input overcompensation. In various examples, errors of a computation may be detected, and input compensation and/or overcompensation to correct the errors may be created. The disclosed techniques may be used for power and/or energy minimization/reduction, and debugging, among other applications. Other embodiments and/or applications may be disclosed and/or claimed.

Abstract: Techniques generally related to a multi-copy transmission scheme are described. A first wireless communication device may transmit Xi copies of each ith packet in an N numbers of packets over a wireless communication link to a second wireless communication device. In response, the second wireless may transmit Y copies of an acknowledgement over the wireless communication link to the first wireless communication device. The first wireless communication device may retransmit the packets if it does not receive the acknowledgement within a predetermined time period. The second wireless communication device may retransmit the acknowledgment if it does not receive other packets within another predetermined time period. N, Xi, and Y may be optimized for one or more of throughput, latency, and energy consumption using calculations or simulations.

Abstract: Embodiments provide methods and apparatuses for detecting errors in a computation using state variables. In various embodiments, corrections of the errors through the state variables are also provided. In various embodiments, the disclosed techniques may be used for power and/or energy minimization/reduction, and debugging, among other goals. Other embodiments and/or applications may be disclosed and/or claimed.

Abstract: Techniques are generally described for generating an identification number for an integrated circuit (IC). In some examples, methods for generating an identification of an IC may comprise selecting circuit elements of the IC, evaluating measurements of an attribute of the IC for the selected circuit elements, wherein individual measurements are associated with corresponding input vectors previously applied to the IC, solving a plurality of equations formulated based at least in part on the measurements taken of the attribute of the IC for the selected circuit elements to determine scaling factors for the selected circuit elements, and transforming the determined scaling factors for the selected circuit elements to generate an identification number of the IC. Additional variants and embodiments may also be disclosed.

Abstract: Techniques are generally described for addressing computation errors via coordinated computation on two computing platforms are disclosed. In some embodiments, one or more cuts may be taken of a computation to observe variables, and the observations may be analyzed to detect errors. Corrections may be created for the detected errors. The disclosed techniques may be employed in power and/or energy minimization/reduction, and debugging, among other goals. Other embodiments may be disclosed and/or claimed.

Abstract: Techniques for user profile-based system level management (SLM) and creation of system level agreements of a wireless device are generally disclosed. In some examples, a predictor may be provided to predict a future task to be performed by a wireless device, including resource requirements, based at least in part on a profile of a user and at least one of a profile of a communication partner the user, an operational recommendation, a performance model or a current state. An optimizer/analyzer may be provided to generate a plurality of instructions to configure the wireless device, based at least in part on the predicted future task and resource requirement, and a quality of service requirement of the wireless device, in anticipation of having to perform the predicted task. In various examples, the predictor and the optimizer/analyzer may form a local or a remotely disposed system level manager.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide system level management to a wireless device using measurements. In various embodiments, a system level manager independent of the operating system of a wireless device may be configured to determine relevant metrics to obtain measurements, based at least in part on the quality of service needs and performance/resource consumption models of the wireless device. In various embodiments, the system level manager may be further configured to determine management actions to be taken by the operating system based at least in part on the measurements obtained.

Abstract: Techniques are generally described for receiving a multicast signal at a plurality of receivers and using the received multicast signals to recover an one-to-one communication for a recipient. Other embodiments may be disclosed and claimed.

Abstract: Techniques are generally disclosed for using an operating entity, including a method, apparatus, and/or system to control usage of the operating entity. In various embodiments, an in-use signal generator may be configured to generate at least one in-use signal, with the at least one in-use signal having a signal duration representative of at least one usage episode of the operating entity. An aging circuit may be coupled to the in-use signal generator and configured to output at least one age-affected signal in response to the at least one in-use signal. A metering module may be coupled to the aging circuit and, in response to the at least one age-affected signal, and configured to measure a signal characteristic of the at least one age-affected signal and translate the signal characteristic into a generated quantity of accumulative usage of the aging circuit.

Abstract: Techniques are generally described relating to methods, apparatuses and articles of manufactures for scheduling and/or organizing execution of tasks on a computing platform. In various embodiments, the method may include identifying successively one or more critical time intervals, and scheduling and/or organizing task execution for each of the one or more identified critical time intervals. In various embodiments, one or more tasks to be executed may be scheduled to execute based in part on their execution completion deadlines. In various embodiments, organizing one or more tasks to execute may include selecting a virtual operating mode of the platform using multiple operating speeds lying on a convexity energy-speed envelope of the platform. Intra-task delay caused by switching operating mode may be considered. Other embodiments may also be described and/or claimed.

Abstract: Technologies are generally described herein for supporting program and data annotation for hardware customization and energy optimization. A code block to be annotated may be examined and a hardware customization may be determined to support a specified quality of service level for executing the code block with reduced energy expenditure. Annotations may be determined as associated with the determined hardware customization. An annotation may be provided to indicate using the hardware customization while executing the code block. Examining the code block may include one or more of performing a symbolic analysis, performing an empirical observation of an execution of the code block, performing a statistical analysis, or any combination thereof. A data block to be annotated may also be examined. One or more additional annotations to be associated with the data block may be determined.

Abstract: Embodiments include but are not limited to cellular phones, methods practice thereon, for autonomously servicing a call or a message, on behalf of the user, without interacting with the user, are disclosed herein. In various embodiments, data about a user of the cellular phone, internal conditions of the cellular phone, or external environment of the cellular phone are locally collected and from a wireless communication network. In various embodiments, multiple agents are provided to the cellular phone, wherein each agent is configured to determine, on receipt of a received call or message, a current service context based at least in part on some of the data stored, and autonomously servicing the received call or message based on the results of the determination. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.

Abstract: Embodiments provide methods, apparatuses, and systems for determining numbers that correspond to a collection of matching derivative numbers. The matching derivative numbers may be included in both a first plurality of derivative numbers selected by a first computing system, and in a second plurality of derivative numbers selected by a second computing system. The numbers may be used to compute a secret. The secret may be used for secure communication between the first and second computing systems.

Abstract: Techniques are generally described for determining locations of a plurality of communication devices in a network. In some examples, methods for creating a location discovery infrastructure (LDI) for estimating locations of one or more of a plurality of communication nodes may comprise one or more of determining a plurality of locations in the terrain to place a corresponding plurality of beacon nodes, determining a plurality of beacon node groups for the placed beacon nodes, and determining a schedule for the placed beacon nodes to be active. Additional variants and embodiments are also disclosed.

Abstract: Techniques are generally described for determining locations of a plurality of communication devices in a network. In some examples, methods for determining locations of a plurality of communication devices in a network may comprise one or more of solving an objective function to determine a first set of locations of one or more of the plurality of communication devices, wherein the objective function is subject to one or more constraints; resolving either the objective function or a modified variant of the objective function, to determine a second set of locations of the communication devices; comparing the first set of locations with the second set of locations; and determining the locations of the communication devices based at least in part on said comparing.

Abstract: Techniques are generally described for determining locations of a plurality of communication devices in a network. In some examples, methods for determining locations of a plurality of communication devices in a network may comprises formulating the determination as a quantitative problem based at least in part on one or more attributes between individual communication devices and one or more beacon nodes whose locations are known, wherein the quantitative problem is expressed in terms of an objective function, one or more constraints, and one or more models, and solving the quantitative problem to determine the location of at least a portion of the one or more communication devices, wherein the solving includes manipulation of at least the objective function, one of the one or more constraints or one of the one or more models. Additional variants and embodiments are also disclosed.

Abstract: Technologies are described herein for intentionally allowing errors in a computational system to optimize energy consumption of the computational system. A cost-benefit analysis is performed to identify one or more allowable errors and one or more non-allowable errors in the computational system. The allowable errors may be identified by the cost-benefit analysis as being acceptable errors for optimizing energy consumption with respect to accuracy of the computational system. The non-allowable errors may be identified by the cost-benefit analysis as being unacceptable errors for optimizing energy consumption with respect to accuracy of the computational system. The computational system is transformed from a first state in which the computational system corrects or prevents the allowable errors and the non-allowable errors into a second state in which the computational system allows the allowable errors and corrects or prevents the non-allowable errors.

Abstract: Methods for remote activation and permanent or temporary deactivation of integrated circuits (IC) for digital rights management are disclosed. Remote activation enables designers to remotely control each IC manufactured by an independent silicon foundry. Certain embodiments of the invention exploit inherent unclonable variability in modern manufacturing for the creation of unique identification (ID) and then integrate the IDs into the circuit functionality. Some of the objectives may be realized by replicating a subset of states of one or more finite state machines and by superimposing additional state transitions that are known only to the designer. On each chip, the added transitions signals are a function of the unique IDs and are thus unclonable. The method and system of the invention is robust against operational and environment conditions, unclonable and attack-resilient, while having a low overhead and a unique key for each IC with very high probability.