Addressing the IC designer's needs: integrated design software for faster, more economical chip design

Abstract

Electronic design automation continues to attract a great deal of investment from the venture community, fostering the creation of startup companies focused on developing unique point-tool solutions. While many innovative new technologies come from this, industry must consider the increasingly critical need of IC designers and manufacturers: integrated design flows that enable the design and production of chips with fewer resources and in less time, without compromising the quality of results. Increasingly evident is the advantage of integrated design and the economies it brings while delivering the same quality of results as point-tool-based approaches. The future of EDA depends on the industry’s ability to deliver solutions that enable the IC industry’s integration of electronic design tools and processes as it relies on EDA to provide the means for producing the next generation of semiconductor products.