The Cube Calculus Machine: a ring of asynchronous automata to process multiple-valued Boolean functions

The authors propose a Cube Calculus Machine (CCM-1), a novel architecture in which the data path has been designed to execute operations of cube calculus, an algebraical model popularly used to process and minimize Boolean functions. The machine uses a `positional cube representation´, which can also represent the multiple-valued input algebra that finds many applications in logic synthesis. Another aspect of this architecture is the implementation of the processing unit as an iterative network of asynchronous finite state machines (FSMs). This is a new concept in computer architecture that can find applications wider than the CCM alone. CCM-1 realizes basic microinstructions that support the microcode implementation of all useful cube calculus operations including sharp, consensus, supercube, and crosslink