What is floorplanning in physical design?

Floorplanning is the first step in physical design, defining chip organization. It involves: Placing hard macros (memories, IPs) and soft blocks, Defining power grid structure, Creating placement blockages, Planning I/O and pin locations, and Establishing power domains. Good floorplanning minimizes wirelength, congestion, and timing issues. Considerations include: data flow (related blocks close together), power distribution, clock tree planning, and manufacturing constraints. Iterative process with early timing estimates guiding decisions.