Optimizing circuit layouts by configuring rooms for placing devices

A system for determining a specification for a circuit layout, comprising:

• a user interface that receives input from a user for determining a configuration of rooms for placing devices, one or more room constraints for positioning rooms in the configuration of rooms, one or more groups of devices for the rooms, and one or more device constraints relative to corresponding room boundaries for devices in a same room, wherein the rooms divide an area for the circuit layout into separated portions for placing devices, a positioning of each room being defined by spatial coordinates for its corresponding boundaries and a placement of each device being defined by spatial coordinates in a corresponding room in the configuration of rooms;
• a computer that determines a specification for the circuit layout from the input;
• and
• a computer-readable medium that stores the specification for the circuit layout, the specification including the configuration of rooms, the one or more room constraints, the one or more groups of devices, and the one or more device constraints, wherein the specification defines a family of circuit layouts that include variations in room positionings while observing the one or more room constraints and variations in device placements within rooms while observing the one or more device constraints.