Embodiments of a system and method for generating an image configured to program a parallel machine from source code are disclosed. One such parallel machine includes a plurality of state machine elements (SMEs) grouped into pairs, such that SMEs in a pair have a common output. One such method includes converting source code into an automaton comprising a plurality of interconnected states, and converting the automaton into a netlist comprising instances corresponding to states in the automaton, wherein converting includes pairing states corresponding to pairs of SMEs based on the fact that SMEs in a pair have a common output. The netlist can be converted into the image and published.