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Getting to Know Us Ahhh, New Orleans. Its warm, friendly atmosphere should encourage designers and vendors alike to build the kind of relationships that will carry EDA into the millenium. by Mary Jane Irwin

At first glance, New Orleans might look like a rather unlikely place for the 36th annual Design Automation Conference. After all, this southern city is famous for its old-world charm, fervently revered jazz, and fine dining that requires a jacket and tie--apparently worlds apart from the ultra-modern, highly logical realm of electronic design where dressing up means wearing a polo shirt.

But New Orleans is actually a great place to hold DAC. The history and the culture in this gracious city offer endless attractions for attendees. Justly famous for its food and music, this locale offers a continuous variety of both, any night of the week and into the wee hours of the morning.

More importantly, however, the ambience of this city should encourage everyone--EDA vendors, designers, and silicon providers alike--to loosen up and get to know each other better. And as we all know, listening to your customers is the golden rule for any successful business. What better place to establish and foster close relationships than in the friendly atmosphere of New Orleans?

In the new era of system-level design, it's imperative that EDA and semiconductor vendors get to know their customers better. Faster and more complex systems are continually changing the requirements of silicon design teams. To stay current with designers' needs, EDA vendors must develop tools that support deep-submicron design, the system software needs of embedded systems, and the integration of multiple cores on one chip. That means vendors must intimately understand what designers need.

At the same time, designers should take it upon themselves to actively communicate their emerging design methodology requirements. As they push the technology boundaries searching for better, faster, and cheaper ways to create products, the design community as a whole often blazes new trails in unexpected directions that the EDA community can't possibly predict. Since EDA tools follow in the path of the design community, designers must step up to the responsibility of informing EDA vendors of new developments and needs early on in the design process--if possible, even before the process begins.

DAC is the ideal place to communicate those needs. For 35 years, DAC has been the premier forum for EDA vendors and designers to meet and exchange ideas, opinions, and discoveries. This year will be no different. In New Orleans, EDA vendors will get to know their customers better through collaboration with designers on the hottest, most effective EDA tools and methodologies possible for efficient system design.

In fact, the theme of this year's conference is "DAC. Where Tools and Design Methods Meet." One area of focus is on how deep-submicron technology issues will influence future design tools and methodologies. This question will be addressed throughout the conference in some of the 190 papers being presented, the always-popular panel discussions, and six full-day tutorials that cover a range of design issues. The issues include design reuse, advanced visualization for analyzing designs, and automated layout in very deep submicron technologies.

Plus, the highly successful Silicon Village--introduced last year--will enable silicon and intellectual property vendors to participate directly in the discussion between designers and EDA vendors. With more system-level design being captured on silicon, it's imperative that silicon and IP vendors understand emerging design needs and contribute their insights.

Informally, powerful discussions will develop as attendees stroll along the Mississippi River, take a ride on a steamboat, visit the French Quarter and Bourbon Street, or partake of beignets and chicory coffee at Café Du Monde. Be sure, though, to bring an umbrella and dress for warm weather. At this time of year, the frequent sudden showers can catch the newcomer unprepared.

All in all, this year's DAC promises to be a lively, sometimes provocative, forum for exchanging ideas and innovations. So, come to DAC in New Orleans if you want to find out where the high-tech design community is headed. Consider packing at least one more-formal outfit, though, just in case you want to get to know each other better over some world-class French cuisine.

Mary Jane Irwin is the 36th DAC chair and a professor in the Computer Science and Engineering department at Penn State University.

To voice an opinion on this or any Integrated System Design article, please email your message to jeff@isdmag.com.

integrated system design  June 1999