A GA with heuristic based decoder for floorplanning with flexible IC modules

A genetic algorithm with heuristic based layout decoder (GAHD) is implemented for IC floorplanning. The basic idea is to make use of a GA to search for an optimal arrangement of circuit modules on a given layout area. To achieve a GA that is efficient in floorplanning, we employ a technique to systematically determine suitable weighting coefficients of the search objectives in deriving a suitable objective function. Furthermore, a heuristic based layout decoder was designed for determining the optimal aspect ratio and orientation of each flexible module. Our results show improvement over other reported floorplanning algorithms based on simulations of the AMI33 benchmark problem.