X-Ware: Mutant Computing Substrates

In this paper we introduce X-Ware, a framework for computing whereby components used by an application can take different forms and characteristics across the lifetime of the system in order to adjust to dynamic application requirements. In particular, we explore two aspects of system mutability: dynamic choice of implementations for certain system components (e.g., leading to different trade-offs between quality and resource usage); and the change in non-functional characteristics of these components (e.g., speed and energy consumption) due to process and environmental variations. We demonstrate X-Ware with a library of mathematical APIs that can help components save up to 93% in energy and 94% in execution time by tolerating a small degradation in quality.