Realization of Game Tree Search Algorithms on FPGA: A Comparative Study

Abstract

This paper deals with realization of search algorithms used in the game solvers on the FPGA. Three algorithms namely Minimax, Alpha-Beta Pruning, and NegaScout are realized and compared amongst each other, and also with their software realization for the sake of completion. Results show that the FPGA based implementations are exceptionally faster than their software counterparts, with the NegaScout algorithm outperforming the conventionally used Alpha-Beta Pruning, and the Minimax algorithm, both in software and hardware. The NegaScout algorithm is 1.3 times faster than the Alpha-Beta Pruning algorithm and 2.6 times faster than the Minimax algorithm on hardware, while incurring a nominal cost in terms of FPGA resource utilization.