Cooperative multi-thread parallel tabu search with an application to circuit partitioning

Abstract

In this work, we propose a cooperative multi-thread parallel tabu search heuristic for the circuit partitioning problem. This procedure is based on the cooperation of multiple search threads. Each thread implements a different variant of a sequential tabu search algorithm, using a different combination of initial solution algorithm and move attribute definition. These threads communicate by exchanging elite solutions. PVM and Linda are used in the implementation of the parallel tabu search procedure. Numerical results reported for a set of ISCAS benchmark circuits illustrate the effectiveness of the parallel tabu search procedure. Comparative results illustrating the efficiency of the implementations in PVM and Linda are also assessed.