[comp.lsi] Parallel Simulated Annealing / References and Are You Doing It?

dgreen@squid.cs.ucla.edu (Dan R. Greening) (04/14/89)

Simulated annealing is often used for combinatorial optimization and
other hard problems.  It uses thermodynamic properties as a metaphor
for solving these problems.  Simulated annealing is used for nearly
every VLSI CAD problem under the sun: placement, routing, logic
optimization, circuit delay.  Plus some vision problems, neural
network weight-setting, a huge collection of NP complete problems,
etc.  That's why the crossposting list is so big.  I probably missed
a few, too :-).

I am looking for references AND people who have implemented simulated
annealing applications on parallel processors.  There are some
difficult and interesting problems in extending simulated annealing to
parallel processors.

If you send parallel simulated annealing references to me via e-mail,
I will compile a bibliography and share it with all contributors.  I'm
also interested in hearing from people who are actively WORKING in
parallel simulated annealing, and will set up a mailing list if there
is enough interest.

Any leads you can give me to parallel simulated annealing researchers
who may not read news (but have e-mail connections), would also be
greatly appreciated.

Please do not post a followup to this posting.  There are way too many
newsgroups to which this is crossposted.  But please send e-mail, and
we will be able to communicate among ourselves.  Thanks.

[I apologize if you have already seen this in comp.parallel.  The original
 was cross-posted to several groups, but the comp.parallel moderator removed
 all but comp.parallel (probably through an automatic formatter).  I know
 several people applying parallel simulated annealing, who do not read
 comp.parallel.

 I have received a few replies from comp.parallel, and will entice you further,
 with these tidbits: I recently published a paper with F. Darema, who 
 appears on most reference lists I received.  I have a rather large
 reference list myself and, as I said, will share it with people who share
 theirs with me. --dan]

Dan Greening  dgreen@cs.ucla.edu  213-472-4898  308 Westwood Plaza, #117
       	                                        Los Angeles, CA 90024-1647