diff --git a/openfpga/src/annotation/read_xml_unique_blocks.cpp b/openfpga/src/annotation/read_xml_unique_blocks.cpp
index e451328ff..e9e72cd90 100644
--- a/openfpga/src/annotation/read_xml_unique_blocks.cpp
+++ b/openfpga/src/annotation/read_xml_unique_blocks.cpp
@@ -12,10 +12,12 @@
 #include "arch_error.h"
 #include "command_exit_codes.h"
 #include "device_rr_gsb_utils.h"
+#include "mmap_file.h"
 #include "openfpga_digest.h"
 #include "read_xml_unique_blocks.h"
 #include "read_xml_util.h"
 #include "rr_gsb.h"
+#include "unique_blocks_uxsdcxx.capnp.h"
 #include "write_xml_utils.h"
 
 /********************************************************************
@@ -155,9 +157,79 @@ int read_xml_unique_blocks(DeviceRRGSB& device_rr_gsb, const char* file_name,
   }
 }
 
-int read_bin_unique_blocks(DeviceRRGSB& device_rr_gsb, const char* file_name,
-                           bool verbose_output) {
-  return 0;
+/*read the instances' coordinate of a unique block from a bin file*/
+std::vector<vtr::Point<size_t>> read_bin_unique_instance_coords(
+  const uniqueblockcap::BlockInfo::Reader& unique_block) {
+  std::vector<vtr::Point<size_t>> instance_coords;
+  if (unique_block.hasInstanceList()) {
+    auto instance_list = unique_block.getInstanceList();
+    for (auto instance : instance_list) {
+      int instance_x = instance.getX();
+      int instance_y = instance.getY();
+      vtr::Point<size_t> instance_coordinate(instance_x, instance_y);
+      instance_coords.push_back(instance_coordinate);
+    }
+  }
+  return instance_coords;
 }
 
+/*read the unique block coordinate from a bin file */
+vtr::Point<size_t> read_bin_unique_block_coord(
+  const uniqueblockcap::BlockInfo::Reader& unique_block) {
+  auto block_info = unique_block.getBlockInfo();
+  std::string type = block_info.getType().Cstr();
+  int block_x = block_info.getX();
+  int block_y = block_info.getY();
+  vtr::Point<size_t> block_coordinate(block_x, block_y);
+  return block_coordinate;
+}
+
+/*top-level function to read unique blocks from bin file*/
+int read_bin_unique_blocks(DeviceRRGSB& device_rr_gsb, const char* file_name,
+                           bool verbose_output) {
+  /* clear unique modules & reserve memory to relavant vectors */
+  device_rr_gsb.clear_unique_modules();
+  // vtr::Point<size_t> grid_coord(rr_gsb_.size());
+  device_rr_gsb.reserve_unique_modules();
+  MmapFile f(file_name);
+  ::uniqueblockcap::FlatArrayMessageReader reader(f.getData());
+  auto root = reader.getRoot<uniqueblockcap::UniqueBlockCompactInfo>();
+  if (root.hasAtomInfo()) {
+    auto block_list = root.getAtomInfo();
+    for (auto unqiue_block : block_list) {
+      auto block_info = unique_block.getBlockInfo();
+      std::string type = block_info.getType().Cstr();
+      int block_x = block_info.getX();
+      int block_y = block_info.getY();
+      vtr::Point<size_t> block_coordinate(block_x, block_y);
+      if (unique_block.hasInstanceList()) {
+        auto instance_list = unique_block.getInstanceList();
+        std::vector<vtr::Point<size_t>> instance_coords;
+        for (auto instance : instance_list) {
+          int instance_x = instance.getX();
+          int instance_y = instance.getY();
+          vtr::Point<size_t> instance_coordinate(instance_x, instance_y);
+          instance_coords.push_back(instance_coordinate);
+        }
+      }
+      /* get block coordinate and instance coordinate, try to setup
+       * device_rr_gsb */
+      if (type == "sb") {
+        device_rr_gsb.preload_unique_sb_module(block_coordinate,
+                                               instance_coords);
+      } else if (type == "cby") {
+        device_rr_gsb.preload_unique_cby_module(block_coordinate,
+                                                instance_coords);
+      } else if (type == "cbx") {
+        device_rr_gsb.preload_unique_cbx_module(block_coordinate,
+                                                instance_coords);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  device_rr_gsb.build_gsb_unique_module();
+  if (verbose_output) {
+    report_unique_module_status_read(device_rr_gsb, true);
+  }
+  return CMD_EXEC_SUCCESS;
+}
 }  // namespace openfpga
diff --git a/openfpga/src/annotation/read_xml_unique_blocks.h b/openfpga/src/annotation/read_xml_unique_blocks.h
index d5a0dcca8..8c6f2103d 100644
--- a/openfpga/src/annotation/read_xml_unique_blocks.h
+++ b/openfpga/src/annotation/read_xml_unique_blocks.h
@@ -36,7 +36,14 @@ void report_unique_module_status_read(const DeviceRRGSB& device_rr_gsb,
 int read_xml_unique_blocks(DeviceRRGSB& device_rr_gsb, const char* file_name,
                            bool verbose_output);
 
+std::vector<vtr::Point<size_t>> read_bin_unique_instance_coords(
+  const uniqueblockcap::BlockInfo::Reader& unique_block);
+
+vtr::Point<size_t> read_bin_unique_block_coord(
+  const uniqueblockcap::BlockInfo::Reader& unique_block);
+
 int read_bin_unique_blocks(DeviceRRGSB& device_rr_gsb, const char* file_name,
-                           bool verbose_output);
+                           bool verbose_output)
 }  // namespace openfpga
+
 #endif
diff --git a/openfpga/src/annotation/write_unique_blocks.cpp b/openfpga/src/annotation/write_unique_blocks.cpp
index 9a6a5cf4e..370ea4e90 100644
--- a/openfpga/src/annotation/write_unique_blocks.cpp
+++ b/openfpga/src/annotation/write_unique_blocks.cpp
@@ -224,7 +224,6 @@ int write_bin_unique_blocks(const DeviceRRGSB& device_rr_gsb, const char* fname,
     const auto unique_block_coord = device_rr_gsb.get_sb_unique_block_coord(id);
     const std::vector<vtr::Point<size_t>> instance_map =
       device_rr_gsb.get_sb_unique_block_instance_coord(unique_block_coord);
-    std::cout << "what is instance size:  " << instance_map.size() << std::endl;
     auto unique_block = block_list[id];
     int status_code =
       write_bin_atom_block(instance_map, unique_block_coord,