DAC Conference 2024 | CEDA Distinguished Luncheon Speaker Andrew B. Kahng

Each year, CEDA invites experts in EDA to present at the Design Automation Conference (DAC). The IEEE CEDA Distinguished Speaker Luncheon will be presented by Andrew B. Kahng, Distinguished Professor of CSE and ECE at the University of California, San Diego.

Talk Title: AI, EDA and DIsruptive Innovation

Abstract: Recent years have brought a flood of proposed applications for AI and machine learning in EDA. The potential benefits of AI for EDA, including improved design quality with reduced cost and schedule, have attracted significant efforts and focus across both academia and industry. But we have not seen truly disruptive innovation in this space – yet. This talk will examine what disruptive innovations at the AI-EDA nexus might look like. First, what are root causes for the absence of visible disruptions from AI-EDA innovations? These include technical and ecosystem challenges, the time and patience needed to reach tipping points, and the presence of active blockers to innovation. Second, where might advances in AI for EDA bring truly transformative, disruptive innovations to benefit the semiconductor ecosystem? Here, possibilities span analysis and simulation tooling, the nature of design signoff, the EDA-designer-foundry dynamic, and more. There are also basic categories of disruptive innovations: for the EDA business model; for the worldwide ecosystem of academic researchers, EDA vendors, and designers; and for EDA technology itself. Third, and finally, what will accelerate inevitable disruptive innovations, who might deliver them, and how.