High-level circuit design

We present two new ways to implement ordinary programs with logic gates. One, like imperative programs, has an associated memory to store state; the other, like functional programs, passes the state from one component to the next. Application-specific circuit design can be done more effectively by using a standard programming language to describe the function that a circuit is intended to perform, rather than by describing a circuit that is intended to perform that function. The resulting circuits are produced automatically; they behave according to the programs, and have the same structure as the programs. For timing, we use local delays, rather than a global clock or local handshaking. We give a formal semantics for both programs and circuits in order to prove our circuits correct. By simulation, we also demonstrate that the circuits perform favorably compared to others.