Challenges in the Electronic Design Eco-System: Collaboration Is Key

Deirdre Hanford, Senior Vice President Global Technical Services, Synopsys

Abstract

Electronics' pervasiveness keeps increasing at an astounding, and yet relentless pace: over the next five years, there is room for at least 5X more electronics - e.g. 5X more smartphones and 10X more data storage. Every sector of our industry participates - from telecommunications, to automotive, to green energy, to medical advancements; the drive - and the competition - to create better, smaller, and cheaper products is intense. This presents enormous opportunities and challenges: the growing demand, especially in emerging markets, has put greater pricing pressure on the whole electronic industry's supply chain, with financial considerations sometimes prevailing over technological ones. For 40+ years EDA has played a critical role in enabling electronic design by continually introducing innovative technology to address complex requirements: simulation, place & route, synthesis, and virtual platforms are just a few examples. The entire eco-system - EDA, semiconductor, IDMs and foundries, OEMs - must now join forces to create solutions which are technically but also economically viable, in order to keep the gears of electronics running.

Curriculum Vitae

Deirdre Hanford is Senior Vice President, Global Technical Services at Synopsys, Inc. Her organization’s mission is to ensure the successful adoption of the company's technology into customers' demanding environments. Having earned a BSEE from Brown University and an MSEE from University of California at Berkeley, Ms. Hanford joined Synopsys in 1987 and has held a variety of positions, including leadership roles in applications engineering, sales & marketing. In 2001, Ms. Hanford was a recipient of the YWCA Tribute to Women and Industry (TWIN) Award. That year she also received the Marie R. Pistilli Women in EDA Achievement Award. She serves on the executive board of directors for TechAmerica. She is a member of the Technical Advisory Board for U.C. Berkeley’s College of Engineering.