Semiconductor and EDA
- (Photo: Princeton University, Office of Communications)
- Electronic Design Automation (EDA)
Electronic Design Automation (EDA), also known as Electronic Computer Aided Design (ECAD), is a category of software tools used to design electronic systems such as integrated circuits and printed circuit boards. These tools work together in the design flow that chip designers use to design and analyze entire semiconductor chips. Because modern semiconductor chips can contain billions of components, EDA tools are critical to their design.
- EDA and IC Design
EDA is a market segment consisting of software, hardware and services with the common goal of assisting in the definition, planning, design, implementation, verification and subsequent manufacture of semiconductor devices or chips.
Regarding the manufacture of these devices, the main provider of this service is the semiconductor foundry or fab. These highly complex and costly facilities are either owned and operated by large vertically integrated semiconductor companies or operate as independent "pure-play" manufacturing service providers. The latter category has become the dominant business model.
[More to come ...]
