EDA's Contribution to Semiconductor and Electronic System Industries

Semiconductor Review | Thursday, March 02, 2023

The electronic design automation (EDA) industry is experiencing strong financial growth and is making a vital contribution to the success of much larger semiconductor and electronic systems industries.

FREMONT, CA: Throughout the past few years, there has been considerable progress in both system design automation in general and electrical design automation in particular. The systems have become progressively more capable and potent as a result. Electronic systems are becoming more and more common, which is due to several variables including, but not limited to, shrinking processing technologies, improved design processes, better tools, effective protocols, and ever-improving system optimization models.

The enhanced systems have altered how people view their life. For instance, modern mobile gadgets are more powerful in terms of computation than supercomputers from a few decades ago. Electronic systems' great rise in popularity and power has come at the expense of their design processes becoming ever more complex.

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Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Due to numerous new applications, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) technologies is expanding quickly. As a result, chip manufacturers must create more intricate integrated circuits (ICs), such as CPUs and GPUs with hundreds of cores, terabytes of memory, and numerous high-speed communication channels. Additionally, they call for more complex EDA tools. Also, programmers frequently see the necessity to create specific logic and algorithms to maximise AI performance without sacrificing power consumption. For the appropriate AI architecture, EDA tools must operate at higher abstraction levels.

While EDA may aid in the design of AI solutions, AI can also enhance EDA tools. EDA providers have recently started incorporating AI and ML into their EDA solutions. ML can improve EDA performance since it needs a lot of data to work well, and EDA generates a lot of data.

Domain-specific design

The move towards domain-specific architectures is causing EDA tool manufacturers to rush to streamline and improve current approaches and tools. For applications in hyper-scale computing, automotive, mobile, communications, aerospace/defence, industrial, and medical fields, there is a drive for designs that are best suited for these fields. Shorter development cycles, higher system complexity, performance and cost trade-offs, and design for context are the driving forces behind domain-specific design. The ecosystem's component, subsystem, and system developers are working more closely to address these difficulties, which EDA vendors and users believe will improve performance.

Several opportunities for EDA tool providers are associated with this trend.

Professionals can work successfully and efficiently during the design and test phases owing to the development of collaborative workflows, which also improve process, data, and intellectual property management (IP). Model-based system engineering (MBSE), with hierarchical design and various levels of accuracy depending on the simulation type, is used by vendors of EDA tools (circuit, system, or network). Simulator accuracy has increased thanks to enhanced models, including measurement-based models. With realistic simulations earlier in the design phase, development teams may lower the risks associated with validation and verification as well as iterative and expensive physical prototyping. Cloud parallelisation and high-performance computing (HPC) have enhanced the potential for enhancing simulation accuracy and speed.

EDA suppliers should develop strong connections and interoperability between EDA, computer-aided design, and computer-aided engineering technologies as part of design-for-context. EDA tools should be connected with product lifecycle management systems, and simulation and test procedures should be enhanced, for a rise in productivity.

Miniaturisation

The process of miniaturisation involves shrinking the size of electronic parts, gadgets, or systems. The need for increasingly compact and portable electronic gadgets, as well as the need to cut costs and improve functionality, are the driving forces behind it. Electronic gadgets and parts are becoming smaller, making it possible to produce small, light items that are easier for consumers to use and transport. Smaller and more effective components, like microprocessors, sensors, and actuators, have been made possible by continuous improvements in microfabrication methods and materials. Electronic gadgets may now be produced in smaller and more powerful sizes than ever before as a result.

A wide range of electronic gadgets, including smartphones, computers, wearables like fitness trackers, medical equipment, and even satellites, provide examples. The development of new technologies like the Internet of Things (IoT) and micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), which are used in a variety of applications including healthcare, transportation, and smart homes, has also been made possible by the shrinking of electronic components. It is also possible to use miniaturisation to enhance the functionality of electrical equipment. For instance, by making electronic components smaller, it is possible to shorten the distance that signals must travel within a device, which can result in faster processing and higher power efficiency.

5G and Edge computing

The fifth generation of mobile networks, or 5G, provides greater capacity, reduced latency, and quicker speeds than earlier generations. It is made to enable a variety of new services and applications, including the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles, and virtual and augmented reality (IoT). The simultaneous connection of a significantly greater number of devices to the internet via 5G networks will enable the development of new goods and services. In essence, it provides support for those electronic gadgets, and as they advance, they need more assistance.

A form of distributed computing known as edge computing pushes computer power closer to the network's edge, where data is generated. In typical cloud computing, data is transmitted to a centralised data centre for processing; this is in contrast. Since it lowers latency and guarantees effective use of the 5G network, edge computing is essential for 5G.

Green electronics

Often referred to as sustainable electronics, Green electronics indicates the development of electronic systems and gadgets that are resource-efficient and friendly to the environment. It aims to lessen the impact that electronic devices have on the environment throughout every stage of their lifecycle, from the sourcing of raw materials to end-of-life product disposal. Green electronics can have an impact on electronic design in several significant areas. The use of ecologically friendly materials in the manufacture of electrical devices is one of these areas. For instance, materials that are free of hazardous chemicals or that are simple to recycle or repurpose after their useful lives can be used by electronic designers.

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