Algorithms for finding price-optimal way to lay pipes and their applications for MEMS

Laying pipes and designing MEMS seem like totally different tasks, but on the algorithmic level, the same or very similar algorithms may be used in both of them. The task of laying a pipe is very similar to the one where you have to design a chip. Even in big-sized chips, the wires may not be laid by random, as due to the electromagnetic interferences, this would significantly decrease the performance of the chip. In microchips the problem is even more difficult to solve, as starting by some size you start to deal with quantum effects.