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Rainer Koschke

Rainer Koschke is a full professor for software engineering at the University of Bremen in Germany and heading the software engineering group. His research interests are primarily in the fields of software engineering, program analyses, and software visualization. His current research includes program analyses, clone detection, software visualization, reverse engineering, architecture recovery, feature location, and security. He is one of the founders of Axivion GmbH (founded in 2006, meanwhile part of Qt Quality Assurance) providing solutions for stopping software erosion. At Qt Quality Assurance, he is now a Distinguished Engineer. He received a doctoral degree in computer science at the University of Stuttgart, Germany in 1999.

To Run or Not to Run? The Case for Automated Static Analysis in Embedded Systems

Status: Coming up in April 2026!

Testing and other forms of dynamic analysis are essential for understanding program behavior, yet they remain inherently incomplete due to the infinite nature of possible inputs. Static program analysis offers a complementary approach, gathering comprehensive knowledge without execution. While manual code reviews are a valuable form of static analysis, they are labor-intensive and difficult to scale.

This presentation explores the vast spectrum of automated static analysis, ranging from simple code metrics (such as the seemingly straightforward lines of code) to advanced semantic techniques such as abstract interpretation to detect potential defects. We will compare these automated methods against dynamic analysis and manual reviews, with a specific focus on their added value in embedded software.

Although the discussion remains primarily conceptual and methodological, we will mention some exemplary tools to ground the theory. Finally, we will discuss how to effectively integrate these analyses into a Continuous Integration (CI) pipeline to ensure lasting code and process quality.

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