Managing complexity in IC design — Past, present, and future

This paper reviews the history of integrated circuit (IC) design and the major problems confronting IC designers. It also looks at current ideas on the directions that electronics system design may take, so that the industry can continue to exploit the potential of silicon fabrication in the future. In describing the past, present, and future of IC design, this paper specifically focuses on the problems of managing the enormous complexity inherent in IC technology. It examines this topic from the perspective of the forces that have shaped the science and art of IC design during the past forty years, reviewing not only the current design tools and methods, but also the discontinuities that are challenging the designers of ICs today. In conclusion, it offers insights into the direction that IC design is likely to take in the next decade.

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