On the Complexity of VLSI Implementations and Graph Representations of Boolean Functions with Application to Integer Multiplication

  • Authors:
  • Randal E. Bryant

  • Affiliations:
  • -

  • Venue:
  • IEEE Transactions on Computers
  • Year:
  • 1991

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Abstract

Lower-bound results on Boolean-function complexity under two different models are discussed. The first is an abstraction of tradeoffs between chip area and speed in very-large-scale-integrated (VLSI) circuits. The second is the ordered binary decision diagram (OBDD) representation used as a data structure for symbolically representing and manipulating Boolean functions. The lower bounds demonstrate the fundamental limitations of VLSI as an implementation medium, and that of the OBDD as a data structure. It is shown that the same technique used to prove that any VLSI implementation of a single output Boolean function has area-time complexity AT/sup 2/= Omega (n/sup 2/) also proves that any OBDD representation of the function has Omega (c/sup n/) vertices for some cor=ior=n, the following lower bounds are proved: any VLSI implementation must have AT/sup 2/= Omega (i/sup 2/) and any OBDD representation must have Omega (1.09/sup i/) vertices.