VLSI circuit synthesis using a parallel genetic algorithm

Abstract

A parallel implementation of a genetic algorithm used to evolve simple analog VLSI circuits is described. The parallel computer system consisted of twenty distributed SPARC workstations whose computational activity is controlled by the parallel environment coordination language Linda. Work-in-progress on using the parallel GA to realize optimized circuits and to discover new types of equivalent-function circuits is presented. The use of biologically inspired development rules to limit the scope of circuits generated by recombination operators to circuits that have an increased chance of surviving is briefly discussed.<>