Electronic Design Automation (EDA) has been at the heart of every semiconductor breakthrough, evolving in lockstep with Moore’s Law and the complexity of modern chips. This talk will trace the history of EDA from its early role in transistor-level simulation to today’s global ecosystem of tools that enable advanced logic, packaging, and system technologies. We will explore the dual perspectives of foundry-driven enablement—covering TCAD, computational lithography, and process modeling—and the fabless design toolchain, spanning front-end design, circuit modeling, verification, and signoff flows.
Dr. Dan J. Dechene is Director of Semiconductor Enablement at IBM, where he drives the company’s global design enablement strategy for advanced semiconductor R&D. He leads initiatives in system and design-technology co-optimization (STCO / DTCO), process design kit (PDK) development, computational patterning, and overall EDA strategy in advancing technologies towards What's Next in computing. With a career split across IBM and GlobalFoundries, Dr. Dechene has played a pivotal role in defining technology roadmaps for leading edge and next-generation logic, collaborating with industry partners and ecosystem leaders worldwide. He received his Doctorate degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from The University of Western Ontario (Canada) in 2011.