Abstract: A system for searching an input string for a number of regular expressions includes a search block and a compiler. The search block includes a plurality of content addressable memory (CAM) devices, wherein each of the CAM devices is differently configured to implement search operations for regular expressions having a unique level of complexity. The compiler is configured to determine the complexity level of each of the regular expressions, and is configured to store each regular expression in a selected one of the CAM devices according to its complexity level.

Abstract: A content addressable memory (CAM) device includes a CAM array, a programmable interconnect structure, and a priority encoder. The CAM array includes a plurality of CAM rows, each row including a number of CAM cells for storing a data word and coupled to a match line that indicates a match result for the CAM row. The programmable interconnect structure is coupled to each CAM row and is configured to selectively route the match results from a first CAM row as an input match signal to any number of arbitrarily selected CAM rows at the same time.