DAC Tutorials: Get a shot in the arm for your job skills

Hi, I’m Robert Jones, the DAC 2010 Tutorials Chair.The executive and tutorials committees have been working for almost a year on this summer’s tutorial program.I’m excited about the topics; I hope that you will find them as compelling as I do.The speakers are all domain experts; the speaker lists read like a “Who’s Who” in the respective areas.

This year, we will offer seven tutorials; four full-day, two half-day, and one for two hours.The topics are timely and relevant: ESL design and prototyping, low power, SystemC for multiple domains, analog circuit design, and 3D ICs.Two of the tutorials cover topics outside of EDA technology: marketing and software development.Each tutorial will follow the DAC tradition of providing clear, informative education from domain experts.

Monday offers two full-day tutorials. The first, ESL Design and Virtual Prototyping of MPSOCs, will provide a comprehensive introduction to the fast-growing world of Electronic System Level (abstract) design. Attendees will learn about current ESL design techniques, future trends, and participate in exercises via a live CD distributed to all participants.

The second Monday tutorial, Low Power from A to Z, covers one of today’s hottest (pun intended) issues in design and design automation. This tutorial will provide a comprehensive overview of low-power approaches at all levels of the design process, from process technology to system architecture.

Two tutorials will cover important topics for EDA professionals that are not usually part of a standard Electrical Engineering curriculum. On Monday morning, the two-hour tutorial Marketing of Technology – The Last Critical Step will teach a technically-trained professional about go-to-market strategies and planning.

Friday offers two half-day tutorials in the morning and two full-day tutorials.The first half-day tutorial, SystemC for Holistic System Design with Digital Hardware, Analog Hardware, and Software will cover SystemC and the brand-new SystemC AMS standard.As reflected by the title, the tutorial will focus on the challenges of modeling very different domains (digital, analog, and software) in an effective way.

The second half-day tutorial, Advancing the State-of-the-Art in Analog Circuit Optimizers, will begin with a talk explaining what circuit designers really want from their optimizers. Three different kinds of optimizers (simulation-based, equation-based, and model-based) will then be presented by their creators, along with analysis on the strengths and weaknesses of each approach.

The first full-day tutorial, 3D: New Dimensions in IC Design, covers an emerging solution to meet the challenges of high performance, differentiated technology integration, and smaller form factors. The tutorial will provide an overview of 3D technology, the corresponding design challenges, and solutions for overcoming these challenges.

The second full-day tutorial, How to Write Better Software, covers a topic that affects almost everyone in EDA. Almost all EDA professionals have been trained in technology and/or hardware.Yet many of those same professionals spend most of their time writing software. This tutorial is a condensed version of a two-day workshop that introduces state-of-the-art software development practices. I hope many of you will take this opportunity to learn from industry training professionals at significantly less expense than bringing experts inside for corporate training.

Well, that’s the summary. I hope your curiosity has been piqued.Please take a moment to explore the tutorial topics in more depth at www.dac.com. I am interested in your feedback about this year’s topics and your ideas for future topics.

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