Silicon compilers and VLSI

The structured approach to tackling complex systems is well recognised as desirable, if not essential, for the ultimate development of a successful design. The top of the pyramid contains the highest level of system description and the design process involves successively splitting this task into independent operations on ever-lower levels. At the bottom of the pyramid are found myriad independent layout, simulation and checking tasks at the lowest cell level. The process of implementation involves executing these small, manageable tasks and then combining their results via rules of composition to progress back up the pyramid and so realise the entire system.