Placer Based on the "Simulated Annealing" Algorithm

A standard cell placer for both global and detailed placement, based on a modified "simulated annealing" algorithm for VLSI and FPGA design.

This source code was once part of my master's thesis, where I explored the simulated annealing algorithm with certain modifications for placing standard cells on an integrated circuit. I never found the time to refactor and eliminate bad practices, but I used to compile this with VS2013-VS2015 on Windows 7 and it worked with IBM-PLACE Benchmarks in the Bookshelf format. Since I haven't had experience with C++ for over 9 years, I don't see the point in spending time on refactoring or making improvements now. I'm leaving it here as it was, hoping someone might find it useful.

Some logic as I remember was borrowed from TimberWolf, UMpack and UCLApack.

Building

Requirements

• C++11 compatible compiler (clang++ or g++)
• OpenGL and GLUT frameworks (available on macOS, may need freeglut on Linux)

Build Instructions

make clean
make

The executable siman will be created in the project directory.

Usage

./siman -f <input.aux> [options]

Options

• -f filename.aux - Input file in Bookshelf format (required)
• -save filename.pl - Output placement file (default: ibm_SA_out.pl)
• -detailed - Use detailed placement mode (default: global placement)
• -greedy - Greedy mode without annealing (faster, less optimal). Can be combined with -detailed
• -skipLegal - Skip legalization step
• -help or -h - Show help message

Examples

# Detailed placement with annealing (default for detailed mode)
./siman -f benchmark.aux -save output.pl -detailed

# Global placement with greedy moves
./siman -f benchmark.aux -greedy

# Detailed placement with greedy moves
./siman -f benchmark.aux -detailed -greedy

Input Format

The program uses the Bookshelf format, which consists of:

• .aux - Master file listing all other files
• .nodes - Cell definitions
• .nets - Netlist (connections)
• .scl - Row definitions
• .pl - Initial placement (optional)

All files must be in the same directory as the .aux file.

Output

The program generates:

• Console output with placement statistics (HPWL, overlaps, execution time)
• Placement file (.pl) with final cell positions
• Optional OpenGL visualization window

Test Data

The program was designed to work with IBM-PLACE Benchmarks:

• IBM-PLACE Benchmarks

Porting Notes

This code has been ported from Windows (VS2013-VS2015) to macOS/Linux