We propose a new algorithm based on cellular automation (CA) for preserving n‐connectivity, n > 1. The CA algorithm transforms an initial grid configuration in a grid with same number of holes but without 1‐connected components. Also, maximal thinning of n‐connected components, n > 1, is achieved. The grid can be used as initial for investigating properties of initial grid. Computational performances are evaluated and measured on real cases. The obtained results indicate that the proposed approach achieves comparable complexity as standard approaches; however, the speed‐up and scalability of the proposed algorithm are not limited by the number of processing nodes.