Abstract: A Genetic Algorithm for VLSI Physical Design Automation

The generation of a high quality layout during the design of a VLSI microchip is a very complex combinatorial optimization problem. Components of a circuit have to be placed, and signal nets have to be routed on an overall minimal area. In this paper a parallel Genetic Algorithm for the combined optimization of placement and routing is presented. The main focus is on the self-adaptation of the search process: Several islands execute a sequential GA with different strategies. At fixed intervals these strategies are ranked and each strategy is adjusted to the next better one by assimilating its characteristical parameters.

Proceedings 4th Int. Conf. on Parallel Problem Solving from Nature (PPSN IV)
Berlin, Germany, September 22-27, 1996
H.-M. Voigt, W. Ebeling, I. Rechenberg, H.-P. Schwefel (eds.)
Lecture Notes in Computer Science 1141, Springer, 1996, 859-868

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