System partitioning of MCMs for low power

Meeting the design challenges inherent in complex multichip modules that also reduce power dissipation is a daunting task, considering the number of constraints and the nonlinear cost functions explored early in the prototyping process. Current algorithms do not do the job. A new systematic approach combines commercial software with simple size-reduction and linearization methods that are largely unknown in the industry. The authors present results obtained from experiments with a set of large ICs