Logic simulation using networks of state machines

This paper shows how to simulate a circuit as an interlocked collection of state machines. Separate state-machines are used to represent nets and gates. The technique permits intermixing of logic models, direct simulation of higher-level functions, and optimization techniques for fanout free circuits. These techniques are an extension of techniques that have been used to achieve high-performance event-driven simulations. New more efficient state-machine implementations are presented, and experimental data is presented that show the efficiency of the new techniques.