Toward design technology in 2020: Trends, issues, and challenges

VLSI design does not stand alone. The challenges and opportunities for the design community are driven and shaped by larger forces, from semiconductor technology evolution through product trends, and ultimately to large scale societal forces which are far beyond the control of designers. To understand the requirements for design, then, we first need to examine the larger environment in which we will operate. Predictions are notoriously inaccurate(1), but I will attempt to outline the global issues and technological trends that will shape what designers must do. In my presentation, I will risk some prognostications about the specific trends and challenges in the VLSI design field over the next 20 years, in hopes that I will be retired long before anyone thinks to check my predictions.