NSF Workshop on EDA: Past, Present, and Future (Part 1)

The July 2009 National Science Foundation workshop on EDA had two objectives: First, to reflect on EDA's success and to see if EDA practices can influence other fields of computer science and if EDA methodology can be applied to other application domains; and second, to review the progress made under the National Design Initiative and evaluate what new directions and topics should be added to the Initiative. This two-part report, part 1 of which appears in this issue, contains an overview of EDA, its funding history, a discussion of major challenges, related emerging technologies, and a look at how EDA experience might help in developing these technologies, along with associated educational aspects and challenges. The report also considers EDA's relation with computer science theorists and how this collaboration can be revived. Finally, the report presents three sets of recommendations on how to promote EDA and assist with the serious challenges it faces in the future.