A Kernel-Based Partitioning Algorithm for Low-Power, Low-Area Overhead Circuit Design Using Don’t-Care Sets

This letter proposes an efficient kernel-based partitioning algorithm for reducing area and power dissipation in combinational circuit designs using don't-care sets. The proposed algorithm decreases power dissipation by partitioning a given circuit using a kernel extracted from the logic. The proposed algorithm also reduces the area overhead by minimizing duplicated gates in the partitioned sub-circuits. The partitioned subcircuits are further optimized utilizing observability don't-care sets. Experimental results for the MCNC benchmarks show that the proposed algorithm synthesizes circuits that on the average consume 22.5% less power and have 12.7% less area than circuits generated by previous algorithms based on a precomputation scheme.