SCHALLOC: an algorithm for simultaneous scheduling & connectivity binding in a datapath synthesis system

A new approach is presented for simultaneous scheduling and connectivity binding in a behavioral synthesis system. A branch-and-bound algorithm is applied for scheduling, with connectivity binding performed at each intermediate step. Costs from the connectivity binder are used to direct the search for optimal solutions. This approach allows the program to optimize user defined objectives without any implicit biases, such as trying to achieve the fastest schedule. Some heuristics are presented to estimate the cost of a partially scheduled and bound graph. This helps to prune the search space. The algorithm performance is presented using examples from the literature.