A novel scheme for synthesis of sequential machines using cellular automata

A mechanism for synthesizing sequential logic, modeled as a finite state machine (FSM), is presented. This method uses cellular automata (CA) to find an underlying sequential machine which has behaviour resembling that of the FSM. Interrupt logic is added to this machine to match the behavior of the CA to that of the FSM. The authors also introduce a variant of this system based on programmable cellular automata (PCA) that has certain advantages over synthesis using fixed CA structures. Designs synthesized using CA and PCA are very regular and efficient, while having the advantages of testability and better manufacturability. Also, in contrast to most conventional techniques, these schemes stress the optimization of the total area of the design, including the interconnects, while synthesizing the sequential machine