Proceedings of the 15th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Certified Programs and Proofs

Abstract

The Proceedings of the 15th ACM SIGPLAN CPP '26 compile cutting-edge research focused on the intersection of formal verification and practical program development. This conference showcases innovations in using proof assistants, type theory, and logic to mathematically guarantee the correctness and security of programs and systems. It serves as a vital resource for advancements toward ultra-reliable, high-assurance software and hardware integration.

Report

Proceedings of the 15th ACM SIGPLAN International Conference on Certified Programs and Proofs

Key Highlights

• Formal Verification Focus: CPP is the premier venue for research dedicated to making programs provably correct through mathematical proof, focusing on high assurance and elimination of critical bugs.
• Mature Research Field: The 15th iteration signifies the maturity and continued importance of formalized methods in computer science, specifically within the realm of programming languages and system design.
• Integration of Proof Assistants: The proceedings feature the latest developments and applications of tools like Coq, Isabelle/HOL, and Lean in verifying complex software and foundational computational models.
• Scope: Research spans from verifying small cryptographic primitives to certifying large systems like operating system kernels and compilers.

Technical Details

While specific papers are not listed, the technical details commonly covered in CPP proceedings include:

• Mechanized Semantics: Formal definitions and proofs regarding the operational and denotational semantics of programming languages and hardware architectures.
• Certified Compilation: Techniques for creating verified compilers (like CompCert) that guarantee the target machine code precisely implements the source code's intent, eliminating common compiler optimization bugs.
• Type Theory and Dependent Types: Advanced type systems used to embed proofs directly into the program structure, guaranteeing correctness properties at compile time.
• Formal Memory Models: Specifications and proofs concerning memory safety, concurrency, and weak memory behaviors, crucial for modern multicore architectures.

Implications

• Enhancing RISC-V Trustworthiness: The open specification of the RISC-V Instruction Set Architecture (ISA) makes it an ideal target for the formal verification techniques showcased at CPP. Research here directly supports efforts to create provably correct hardware implementations, bootloaders, and OS components for RISC-V systems.
• High Assurance Computing: For security-critical sectors (e.g., automotive, aerospace, medical devices, blockchain), CPP research provides the foundation for building systems where failures due to software error are mathematically eliminated.
• Advancing Tooling: The conference drives the development of next-generation proof assistants and formal verification tools, making high-assurance methods more scalable and accessible to mainstream software development, thereby improving the overall quality of the tech ecosystem.
• Foundation for Security: Formal verification is the strongest method for ensuring security properties (like information flow and access control) hold true, crucial for mitigating sophisticated hardware and software exploits in new platforms.