Fast floorplanning for fixed-outline and nonrectangular regions

We present a fast evolutionary algorithm using sequence pair (SP) representation for hard block fixed-outline and non-rectangular floorplanning. We use dummy modules to represent various non-rectangular floorplans. The dummy module locations on layout and the feasibility of candidate solutions are verified directly on the SP representation without generating constraint graphs or floorplans. It significantly speeds up the algorithm. The developed fixed-outline floorplanner is fast and has a high success rate for hard block fixed-floorplans with dead spaces limited by 10%, 8% and 6%. It can also efficiently handle preplaced modules. Experimental results are presented.