Logic machines: A survey

Logic( -based) programming languages are today the center of very many research efforts. One of these languages, PROLOG (PROgramming in LOGic), is used to program expert systems, natural language processors, computer aided design systems and compilers. A parallel variant of PROLOG is suggested as the language of the Japanese Fifth Generation computer project. Parallel to these efforts, a class of computer architectures that is suitable for supporting logic programming is emerging. Such a class is referred to as logic machines. In this paper, we propose a new taxonomy for the architectural space of logic machines. Based on such taxonomy, some of the proposed logic machine architectures are presented and compared.