Background on challenges in electronic design
Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and Industrial Automation has seen an enormous growth over the last couple of years. EDA tools are crucial to the development of Printed Circuit Boards (PCB), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) and application- specific integrated circuits (ASIC). A similar place has been taken by the CAE tools in the development of control systems for the Industrial Automation. The demands and requirements for EDA and CAE tools have increased due to the constant emerging new technology and complexity of the designs. Therefore EDA and CAE vendors have adapted themselves by introducing open systems, allowing customers to select a (sub)set of tools optimal for their design flow. In addition to the increasing complexity of the designs, one can also see a global demand for shorter time to market and therefore a shorter development cycle. Yet another constraint on top of this all is the requirement to also have a predictable development cycle. These trends put a heavy pressure on engineers, managers and executives involved in development of electronic products or industrial automation.