TABU SEARCH AND DESIGN OPTIMIZATION

Tabu search is a powerful optimization procedure that has been successfully applied to a number of combinatorial optimization problems, including integer-programming and quadratic-assignment problems. The procedure is simple to implement, sufficiently versatile to incorporate problem-specific constraints, and may also act as a control mechanism to monitor and direct the progress of other optimization routines. The paper explains the tabu-search mechanism, discusses the general procedure with the use of simple examples, and details the important computational considerations that affect the performance of the routine. An electronic-circuit design problem is used as an example of the application of tabu search. Finally, possible modifications to the basic search procedure are indicated, together with lines of further investigation.