The continuing growth in the size and complexity of VLSI devices
requires a parallel development of well-designed, efficient CAD tools.
The majority of commercially available tools are based on an algorithmic
approach to the problem and there is a continuing research effort aimed
at improving these. The sheer complexity of the problem has, however,
led to an interest in examining the applicability of expert systems and
other knowledge based techniques to certain problems in the area and a
number of results are becoming available. The aim of this book is to
sample the present state-of-the-art in CAD for VLSI and it covers both
newly developed algorithms and applications of techniques from the
artificial intelligence community. The editors believe it will prove of
interest to all engineers concerned with the design and testing of
integrated circuits and systems.