A "bit-bucket" data structure to optimize local search for microword length minimization

The problem of microword length minimization is crucial to the synthesis of microprogrammed controllers in digital systems. Unfortunately, this problem is NP-hard. In this paper, we describe a new data structure based on a "bit-bucket" scheme to optimize local searches for microword length minimization. We present our analysis for space and time complexity, and we compare our scheme with previously published algorithms.